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2023-24 Performances


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6.2 Season Average Rating
Appearances
32
Goals
5
Assists
1
Yellow cards
4
Status
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Very composed. Reminds me of a Seedorf. Excellent today
He was good but for me not excellent. I do feel that he take sometimes risks which happened 2-3 times yesterday when he was so close to lose it in dangerous position. He is still young kid. He will learn.

However, if we don't hurry him, we have a diamond. His eye for reading the game is already top class. That goes to his positioning to. What he lacks in speed he got in his IQ.
 
Kid is a baller, very rare you get someone so well rounded at 18 in midfield.

Do we have any other great talents coming through from the academy? Our success rate from there is a huge boon given how dire our spending has been. Evans, Rashford, Garnacho, Mainoo, almost half our team. Greenwood too if he was still around. Kind of wish we kept Garner as well as he's got a lot about him too.
Gore is the next talent that will break through, slightly behind mainoo is his development but plays similar, both dovetail brilliantly together. If Gore and Mainoo could play a season or two with Casamiro they could develop into brilliant players.
 
Gore is the next talent that will break through, slightly behind mainoo is his development but plays similar, both dovetail brilliantly together. If Gore and Mainoo could play a season or two with Casamiro they could develop into brilliant players.

From the little I've seen of Gore the only concern I have is whether he can handle the physicality.
 
Jack Fletcher, Shea Lacey, and Jayce Fitzgerald are the next promising talents I would bet on over our other promising talents. I feel like they're the true standouts of the next group. They remind me of the Greenwood, Garner, and Laird trio in that they were all intriguing prospects at the time. Maybe, I think the former trio is already doing so well at the u18 level while being 16 years old, and in Lacey and Fitzgerald's cases, we saw them doing well in the u18s as 15 year olds like Greenwood.
Amass too.
 
The kid plays like a veteran, and that is absolutely sensational imo. Great talent, just stay clear of injuries and we have a good CM in our hands finally.
 
Don't think he didn't anything with the ball yesterday. But he did the Fred role of breaking up well, and won 7 or 8 headers which is bizarre and incredible?
 
Seems to me like opposition is already adjusting to Mainoo and tend to leave him have the ball and rather mark everyone else. That's why he's been a bit hesitant on the ball me thinks.

He's better when opposition presses as he can handle them and find a smart pass forward. Yesterday he had little options to pass it forward.

I was very impressed with his defensive game. He's just a very good partner to whoever will be the +1 next season.
 
If he carries on as is, he's a sure thing for '24, I think.

Betting odds on that likelihood should be interesting.

I still think it's too soon for him. Lots of experienced players ahead of him. I can see him making squads next year but not making the squad for Euro 24.

The most impressive thing about him is the obvious intelligence and cognitive ability.

I'm excited to see him and Diallo playing together.
 
He was good but for me not excellent. I do feel that he take sometimes risks which happened 2-3 times yesterday when he was so close to lose it in dangerous position. He is still young kid. He will learn.

However, if we don't hurry him, we have a diamond. His eye for reading the game is already top class. That goes to his positioning to. What he lacks in speed he got in his IQ.

I don't think he lacks speed. He's quick enough.
 
I don't think he lacks speed. He's quick enough.
Yeah he's no slower than guys like Enzo, Scholes, Xavi etc. The way he plays, it's not a big deal him not having a great burst at all. He will rarely need to really stretch his legs in a sprint. His partner should be quicker though.
 
He should be watching Jude Bellingham. Thats where his ceiling should be.

He doesn’t have the athleticism of Belingham, really different kind of player. Hopefully he’ll be our Frenkie De Jong.
 
I still think it's too soon for him. Lots of experienced players ahead of him. I can see him making squads next year but not making the squad for Euro 24.

The most impressive thing about him is the obvious intelligence and cognitive ability.

I'm excited to see him and Diallo playing together.
It’s not about experience over skillset; he offers something rarely seen in English midfielders; collecting off centre-backs and being able to turn and drive into the play elevating the fluidity of the whole midfield as well as the speed at which play can be transitioned. Even Southgate will appreciate the value of that.

Rice-Mainoo-Bellingham has everything you want in terms of cohesion, fluidity and technical competences, well certainly within the sphere of England’s options.

If the odds are long enough, it’s worth putting money on, I would say.
 
That pass through players to Garnacho just before the second goal is something rarely seen from United midfielders this season.
 
Did well with a couple hospital passes from Onana.

For the life of me I can't understand why we make those short passes to the guy right in front of the goalkeeper, the player almost always looks under massive pressure, and it often ends up back with the goalkeeper, it seems very high risk for minimal gain.
 
It’s not about experience over skillset; he offers something rarely seen in English midfielders; collecting off centre-backs and being able to turn and drive into the play elevating the fluidity of the whole midfield as well as the speed at which play can be transitioned. Even Southgate will appreciate the value of that.

Rice-Mainoo-Bellingham has everything you want in terms of cohesion, fluidity and technical competences, well certainly within the sphere of England’s options.

If the odds are long enough, it’s worth putting money on, I would say.

Tbf England do have another midfielder that can do that in Phil Foden. I just don't think Southgate is anywhere near brave enough for that midfield.
 
Tbf England do have another midfielder that can do that in Phil Foden. I just don't think Southgate is anywhere near brave enough for that midfield.
Foden isn't a natural in deep areas and doesn't have the defensive nous for that, he's an attacker. Mainoo is good defensively, physically strong, but his press resistance and intelligence of how to play in deep areas to open up and receive a pass, keep the play ticking along/progress the ball is not something that any England midfielder has had since Scholes.
 
For the life of me I can't understand why we make those short passes to the guy right in front of the goalkeeper, the player almost always looks under massive pressure, and it often ends up back with the goalkeeper, it seems very high risk for minimal gain.

Draw out the forward press and break the first line, if the midfielder can turn it makes it much easier to play through midfield and its tailor made for a player like Mainoo.
 
Tbf England do have another midfielder that can do that in Phil Foden. I just don't think Southgate is anywhere near brave enough for that midfield.
Foden is for further up the pitch, not taking the ball off of CB’s and turning out to drive up with it; Foden would be the Iniesta to Mainoo’s Xavi, if it wasn’t for Bellingham. If Southgate was bold enough, he could have Foden off the left in the same team as the other two, but yeah, that’s not happening on his watch.

In terms of what Mainoo can offer England, it’s the FDJ interconnection through the spine of the team. He’s got a niche all to himself there, for club and country, actually.
 
For the life of me I can't understand why we make those short passes to the guy right in front of the goalkeeper, the player almost always looks under massive pressure, and it often ends up back with the goalkeeper, it seems very high risk for minimal gain.

Being under massive pressure is the point. 2 or 3 guys closing one player down is how you make space. If you've a good enough player it's not high risk.
 
I would say Mainoo’s biggest obstacles will be avoiding injury and also fatigue. An adult season could leave him spent by May as he’s not a Milner or Rooney, who had adult capacity in their teens.
 
I say this half in jest: would be a miracle for Southgate to give Angel Gomes a fair crack at earning a spot.
Southgate mentioned Gomes in a press conference fairly recently. He stated how he wasn't really in his plans because he is looking at players who can play as the deepest midfielder all on their own (like Rice) as opposed to a playmaker alongside a dedicated DM. Pretty limited view.
 
Draw out the forward press and break the first line, if the midfielder can turn it makes it much easier to play through midfield and its tailor made for a player like Mainoo.
Exactly. City play it all the time. Beat the first press and you are right through it.

But I do agree we overdo it at times.not matured enough on that part.
 
I would say Mainoo’s biggest obstacles will be avoiding injury and also fatigue. An adult season could leave him spent by May as he’s not a Milner or Rooney, who had adult capacity in their teens.

There aren't two or three games a week though.

If a teenager is to be introduced the second half of this season is perfect.
 
For the life of me I can't understand why we make those short passes to the guy right in front of the goalkeeper, the player almost always looks under massive pressure, and it often ends up back with the goalkeeper, it seems very high risk for minimal gain.
Most of the time it's to draw the opposition to that player, who then plays a easy sideway ball to a fullback who is now in plenty of space to bring the ball forward. Alternatively sometimes the first recipient can turn and play it forward himself, although that's a bit more dangerous and requires the player to be good at dealing with a press (Mainoo appears to be someone who could do this, but not sure about any of our other midfielders). There's only been a couple of times that it's ended in a dangerous situation, and only the once I remember where it actually cost us (and that was because Onana's pass to Casemiro against Galatasaray was utterly mis-hit, rather than the player not being able to get out of a bad position).
 
I don't think he lacks speed. He's quick enough.
It can be seen that he is quick enough because he is so clever in his positioning. Lot of times he is step infront his opponent. What he shown until now. One on one, I don't think he can't outpace lot of players. But neither could a player like Scholes. And if he can get even close to his level, although not same position, we should be very happy.
 
I would say Mainoo’s biggest obstacles will be avoiding injury and also fatigue. An adult season could leave him spent by May as he’s not a Milner or Rooney, who had adult capacity in their teens.
We're on one game a week until the end of the season, he should be fine.
 
Southgate mentioned Gomes in a press conference fairly recently. He stated how he wasn't really in his plans because he is looking at players who can play as the deepest midfielder all on their own (like Rice) as opposed to a playmaker alongside a dedicated DM. Pretty limited view.
It isn't. Outside of Rice and Phillips England has no one who can protect a defence ar an elite level, which is dangerous. England has a whole host of 8s and 10s with combative or playmaking orientations incomparison
 
It isn't. Outside of Rice and Phillips England has no one who can protect a defence ar an elite level, which is dangerous. England has a whole host of 8s and 10s with combative or playmaking orientations incomparison
I'm talking about a deep-lying playmaker alongside a 6. Not an 8 or a 10. This is something that Southgate isn't interested in and that is very short-sighted.
 
It isn't. Outside of Rice and Phillips England has no one who can protect a defence ar an elite level, which is dangerous. England has a whole host of 8s and 10s with combative or playmaking orientations incomparison

No chance I can include Phillips in that these days. It’s been 3 years since he was an impact player.
 
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