If you watch this current Man United team,You will see that there’s one thing that this current Man United has that every other team doesn’t have’: Man city boss Pep Guardiola praises ONE Man United player who has improved a lot in this second half of the season
If you watch this current Man United team,You will see that there’s one thing that this current Man United has that every other team doesn’t have’: Man city boss Pep Guardiola praises ONE Man United player who has improved a lot in this second half of the season
Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo can do no wrong at the moment and his role in the winning goal against Aston Villa on Sunday has gone under the radar.
Scott McTominay’s name dominated headlines and Diogo Dalot won praise for his perfectly weighted cross, which he struck first time, into the box, but the goal wouldn’t have happened without Mainoo retaining possession against the odds just seconds earlier.
Casemiro played a speculative pass forward and Mainoo held his run, only to find himself in between Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey, and what he did next was superb.
Mainoo’s first touch brought him toward the goal and, in that scenario, most players would attempt to attack the byline and play a cross into the box themselves.
Douglas Luiz is one of the Premier League’s best midfielders. His preference was to tempt Mainoo into taking the ball around him and at worst, he could have sent it for a corner.
Mainoo was unlikely to succeed due to Douglas Luiz’s positioning and Ramsey was closing in behind him, which meant the Aston Villa pair seemed to have the danger covered.
The youngster was aware he’d struggle to beat Douglas Luiz and immediately took a second touch to turn back inside where he knew one of his teammates would be waiting.
His third touch was to execute the turn and Ramsey charged him down. The ball might have taken a slight deflection – the replays are inconclusive – but it found its way to Dalot.
What happened next won the game for United, as Dalot played a cross that David Beckham would have been proud of and McTominay fired his header into the back of the net.
Dalot and McTominay have won the plaudits but Mainoo deserves to be lauded. His role in the goal was just as important and his ability to be press resistant created space for Dalot.
The 18-year-old is so laid-back he is almost horizontal and that demeanour is seen on the pitch because he’s remarkably composed for a player who has fewer than 20 senior appearances.
With just minutes remaining in a crucial game, many players in the scenario Mainoo found himself in would panic, but he stayed calm, attracted the Villa press and found his teammate.
Mainoo has demonstrated maturity beyond his years since breaking into the first team this season and that moment against Villa, which was instinctive, is just the latest example of that.
Rasmus Hojlund recently described Mainoo as a ‘generational talent’ and revealed the dressing room were adamant about his potential following a breakout pre-season last summer.
For those who follow the club’s academy, Mainoo has not been a secret but his transition to senior football has been genuinely impressive. He is the same player in the Premier League as he was for the Under-21s, despite that level being a significant step up.
Mainoo is going from strength to strength and his progression is a pleasure to follow.
