Casemiro-Mainoo-Fernandes

The same Mainoo who has played 1 EPL match. Is 18 years old and whose transfer budget is £683k?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kobbie-mainoo/leistungsdaten/spieler/820374

People complain about McTominay, etc, attributing to the lowering of the standard of the Manchester United midfield and then they talk about parachuting a completely untested player into a midfield of the most demanding league in the world.

The aforementioned logic is baffling.
 
gza the genius said:
It did look like Mainoo was set to get a prominent role this season but I don't think that was ever going to involve being a regular starter. I think/hope he'll be an option off the bench to shore up midfield later in games.
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In my opinion his role will be similar to Garnacho last season. A few starts here and there but mostly used with 15-20 minutes to go.
 
MasterDarcy said:
The same Mainoo who has played 1 EPL match. Is 18 years old and whose transfer budget is £683k?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kobbie-mainoo/leistungsdaten/spieler/820374

People complain about McTominay, etc, attributing to the lowering of the standard of the Manchester United midfield and then they talk about parachuting a completely untested player into a midfield of the most demanding league in the world.

The aforementioned logic is baffling.
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Totally agree.
Additionally, when the said untested/youth player fails to perform well, the name-calling begins.
I am genuinely fearful for Hojlund - he is a young, untested player and if he doesn't play like a 28 yr old, senior striker in his prime, he is going to get absolutely roasted!
 
It's 1 game and Mainoo is 18.

This place has gone more mental than usual.
 
MasterDarcy said:
The same Mainoo who has played 1 EPL match. Is 18 years old and whose transfer budget is £683k?

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kobbie-mainoo/leistungsdaten/spieler/820374
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Anyone who uses transfermarkt's nonsensical transfer values as genuine indicators of a player's value is near enough automatically disqualifying themselves from having their opinion be given serious consideration. You think a club could buy such a prospect, or Utd would sell such a prospect, for anywhere near £683k?!?!?!

But this season will still be too soon for Mainoo to become a first team regular. If he can stay fit he could have a similar season to the one Garnacho had last year in making late sub appearances and occasionally starting less difficult games. It will probably still be a year or two until he could potentially nail down a starting spot if he keeps progressing.

tomaldinho1 said:
Most balanced would be Case - Eriksen - Mount as 10.
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I think Eriksen is already finished as a starter in key games for Utd. His legs have gone.
 
The fact is Casemiro-Maino-Fernandes equates balance. Is Maino a better player than Mount at this point of his career absolutely not. But balance is far more important than individual quality. He has the qualities reminiscent of a true number 8 / 6 so it changes the direction of the team.

The balance is what's lacking the same in the wide areas. AWB doesn't go down the flanks to cross, Antony always goes inside and seldom on the outside. Those two tendencies of both players doesn't compliment one another. That's why like last season the right side of the attack is passive. If im the opposition fullback, it's meat and drinks all day against United's right side of the attack because it's predictable.

Balance is so important especially in the modern football era where everything is so much more tactical because of the different cultural influences in philosophies in the managerial elements of the game. Its a real shame because ETH is a good manager but it feels like the planning strategically is where everything is lacking. It doesn't really matter what pieces you move around the Glazer ownership model will always muster up a stink.
 
Superunknown said:
I think it's not so much the players you've mentioned there, but what they do. I'd throw Bruno into there as part of that midfield three.

Casemiro - holding the midfield, good short range passing, but mostly protecting the back four
Eriksen - good overall range of passing, linking the defence to midfield to attack, spreading the play, finding players and supplying them with the ball
Bruno - mobile attacker who acts to support the striker/forwards, presses high up the pitch, can help to win the ball back quickly

It's more about the template for me. I feel that it was the first time post-Sir Alex that we got the overall balance and composition right in midfield with regards to what the players do and their roles with making the machine work.

The issue is now with mobility. We keep hearing that Casemiro needs a run of games to build up rhythm. We also keep hearing that Eriksen's legs have gone. When they're fit/on form/in rhythm, it is still our best midfield. If we're going to update the midfield, we really need to be updating it with this template in mind. The problem is that I don't look at any member of our squad and feel that we have anybody that can immediately displace any of those three. I'm not actually sure which player Mount is meant to be displacing from what I saw on Monday, and it's clear that Mainoo is purely not ready. Mount for Eriksen seems like the obvious one on paper, but it didn't seem that obvious in the game.
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I think Mount is seen as an athlete first and foremost, who has the legs and energy. If he was similar to any of them, maybe Bruno without the end product? It’s a bit of a head scratcher for me. I assume it’s about adrenaline on the pitch for the reasons we mentioned, but I do wonder why it’s so hard to find midfielders who can run AND pass AND are good in possession.
 
Is Mainoo better than Mount? We don't know


We don't actually know that Mount, albeit more established and accomplished, is a better midfielder, even at this stage of their careers. The fact Mainoo's a lot less experienced doesn't change that. We'll hopefully know when he's back fit if he gets chances.

Kids have regularly stepped up and proven to in fact be better than more established players in the engine room. Gavi, Pedri, Fabregas, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Caicedo etc. were unproven kids, then they were given a chance, stepped up and that was that. A day before their first team debuts, many probably didn't think they could compete.

Young players have to be given a chance to compete if they've shown themselves to be good enough, and if they perform better, which he 100% did during preseason by the way (not always an indicator, but if we see similar levels in serious games for instance), they should play.

EtH had him with other first teamers against Arsenal and Madrid, so pretty sure he's definitely in his planning to some extent.

I'm not saying Mainoo should play, I'm saying we don't know whether he'll improve us or not.

I'm also not saying Mount is a failed project, as I don't even believe he's loose in possession as people say. He's demonstrated good ball control in the past, so I do expect him to improve a fair bit for us.
 
ETH is not going to abandon his ideas after one game and nor should he.

The problem I have with threads like this is its just mindless whingeing with no recourse for the many people who pile in and pile on.

If, at the end of the season, we've finished top three and Mount has been brilliant, will we see apology threads, or "I was wrong' threads. Of course not.

Likewise, if I had a pound for every post on this forum championing a young player for a first team spot who is now playing (and not shining) for some middling club, then I could probably buy my own football club.

Again, problem is, it's easier to be negative because its harder to be completely and indisputably wrong, and if you are, it's forgotten.

Point being, why don't we wait until we've played 10-15 games before we start ripping apart ETHs plans? I think last season should have earned him the right to a bit of patience

Edit | For the record, I think Mainoo looks excellent, but so did Janujaz, and we saw what happened when he was given too much too soon.
 
What is going on? This window has officially driven everybody mental and we are 1 game into the season.

The kid is 18 ffs. Anybody suggesting before last season that Garnacho should have been instantly starting and taking over that position with barely any first team experience?
 
Why are people sleeping on Hannibal? Surely he would be a better bet next to Cas in the double pivot than Mainoo (who is much more raw and less experienced).
 
BerryBerryShrew said:
Why are people sleeping on Hannibal? Surely he would be a better bet next to Cas in the double pivot than Mainoo (who is much more raw and less experienced).
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Evidence is that ETH already regards Manoo as a more developed/higher-level player than Hannibal. I agree though that as things stand Hannibal should be first reserve, at least until Mainoo comes back- he's got the mobility and grit as well as decent passing ability to firm up the midfield alongside Cas if we're experiencing issues. I'd trust him more than McT or, honestly, in that deeper-lying position, more than Mount, though Mount is obviously more mature. MM for me is an Antony/Sancho replacement when we need high-pressing, or Bruno if we're looking for someone more disciplined to see out a game.

EDIT: I think there's a common perception that people hyping and people who want Hannibal out share regarding him, that he's going to be or should be functioning like a classic no. 10 or creative fulcrum (Bruno stand-in etc). For me, the way he's developed seems much more along the lines of a Herrera - good but not sublime passing, some creativity but not scholes (or bruno even )level, aggression but also can be coached into greater discipline both in tackling and in positioning etc. Which would make him a useful squad player in today's set-up, if you take that for what it is and try and cultivate the skillset accordingly.
 
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Devil_forever said:
Will be our best, most balanced midfield this season but I worry that ETH will persist with Mount or put Bruno on the right side of attack to fit Mount into midfield. Mainoo looks perfect for the number 8 role.

Discuss.
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Looks like he’s shunning Bruno to the right to fit in his latest deadwood signing Mount.
 
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