Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick said Kobbie Mainoo still has room to grow despite another strong showing in the 2\u20130 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Carrick warned that pundits and supporters should “not expect too much from him all the time,” while also signalling confidence in the 20-year-old’s upward trajectory.<\/p>\n
Much attention has followed Ruben Amorim’s decision to sideline Mainoo during his 14-month reign at Old Trafford. Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system did not play to the young midfielder’s strengths and there was a real possibility Mainoo could leave the club, either permanently or on loan. Mainoo failed to start a single Premier League game this season while Amorim was in charge.<\/p>\n
Carrick restored Mainoo immediately on returning to a conventional 4-2-3-1, which has allowed Bruno Fernandes more freedom further forward. “There\u2019s no doubt of Kobbie\u2019s ability and what he can bring,” Carrick enthused in his post-match briefing, before urging expectations to be tempered. “He\u2019s still so young and let\u2019s be careful of not putting so much right on his shoulders and expecting so much of him. He\u2019s still learning the game. Because he\u2019s had the big high and then obviously didn\u2019t play for a bit, it\u2019s easy to think he\u2019s a lot older and more experienced probably than he is.<\/p>\n
But credit to him, he\u2019s come right in and find his rhythm with football, which is not easy after a period of time out and he\u2019s found that physically and mentally. We know he can handle the ball and hopefully over time, I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll keep improving. We\u2019ve got to be patient and not expect too much from him all the time.” <\/p>\n
Playing alongside Casemiro, Mainoo is picking up aspects of the game by proximity, Carrick added: he is “picking things up just by being next to him,” and is “probably not even realising” it. Before Cristian Romero’s sending off had given United control, Mainoo had already won six of the 11 ground duels he contested, recovered possession repeatedly and moved the ball quickly. He completed 10 vertical passes into the final third, created four chances and delivered the first-time pull back from the corner routine that led to United’s opener, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to score into Guglielmo Vicario’s far corner.<\/p>\n
On Mainoo’s future Carrick said: “There\u2019s definitely more to come from him, that\u2019s just the age he\u2019s at, the stage he\u2019s at in his career you\u2019d like to think, he\u2019s just starting out really essentially,” and added: “He has got so much experience under his belt in big games and pressured situations, which is going to help him develop learning the game.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really conscious that he\u2019s come in, he\u2019s played the four games and he\u2019s found his rhythm. Young players, they have times when they\u2019re up and then they might have a little dip. That\u2019s not all of a sudden he\u2019s good or he\u2019s a poor player, Kobbie is what he is. Managing that\u2019s really important, especially for younger players and understanding that. He\u2019s doing fantastic at the moment, he\u2019s having a really big impact on games, and we\u2019ll keep working with him and helping him, trying to keep improving him as well as we go.” <\/p>\n
Debate has already started over whether Mainoo will be in England’s 2026 World Cup plans. A starter in the final of Euro 2024 aged 19 and the youngest to play a semi-final four days earlier, he has 10 international caps but has not featured for the Three Lions since that year largely because of his reduced role at Manchester United. “He’s lacking minutes. I don’t think he lacks anything else,” England manager Thomas Tuchel previously said of Mainoo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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