Is Mainoo the real deal?

Is Kobbie Mainoo the real deal?

  • Total voters
    1,149
  • Poll closed .
I’m still in the patience column. I think he is but again we just need to give him time and not rush him into a full time starting role until he’s physically ready.

I think he’s superb though and may well save us £100m.
 
BenitoSTARR said:
I’m still in the patience column. I think he is but again we just need to give him time and not rush him into a full time starting role until he’s physically ready.

I think he’s superb though and may well save us £100m.
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A big reason for our turnaround in results is that he was rushed into a full time starting role
 
Do people think we still need De Jong? Genuinely afraid, he seems he'll finally leave Barca, we will get him and this will push Mainoo back to DM role....
 
Hal9000 said:
Do people think we still need De Jong? Genuinely afraid, he seems he'll finally leave Barca, we will get him and this will push Mainoo back to DM role....
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De Jong would play as a 6, as he did at Ajax, with Mainoo as the 8.

Below shows how ten Hag used to build his attacks with Ajax, with De Jong dropping into the left back space to collect the ball.

Ajax 18/19

Schone
De Jong Blind De Ligt
Onana

United 24/25?

Mainoo
De Jong Martinez New CB
Onana

ten Hag said he can't get this United side to play like Ajax, but if were to buy a top class ball playing centre back, in addition to the players mentioned above, I believe those five players would very effective at building from the back.


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He's fantastic. I see him as an 8 rather than a 6 though, he's wasted holding the midfield by himself.
 
CloneMC16 said:
The people that voted no have to be trolling.
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To be fair, people need to see that he is able to perform at that level consistently. The poll closed in Jan and it may be abit too early to make any judgement at that point for some.

I am convinced now that this kid is a real deal.
 
Blood Mage said:
He's fantastic. I see him as an 8 rather than a 6 though, he's wasted holding the midfield by himself.
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It's hard to see how our tactics will ever work with a regular #6 next to him. There is so much responsibility for ball progression on the #6 that I feel it needs a Mainoo type player.
 
cpresc said:
Mainoo —— Bellingham
—————Rice

will be interesting to see
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Bellingham would play ahead of Rice and Mainoo....but this midfield would be 100% perfect.....and they could play together for many years (Rice is 25-years old).
 
Remember the geese said:
He isn't 6ft 4, but he isn't particularly short. Also, Mainoo is quite strong. Perfectly adept at using his strength to shield the ball and hold off opponents.
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Andy mitten was talking to David Pleat after the Luton game who was praising how he uses his backside. He’s really good at shielding the ball, that and his quick feet get him out of situations in midfield (really tried hard to phrase this in a way that doesn’t end up in the sexual posts thread…)
 
The lad is performing very well at the moment but I do worry that along with Casemiro we have a very slow midfield.
Opposition seem to get through our midfield so easy whenever they inject a bit of pace and I hope Erik is addressing that issue.
 
Bondi77 said:
The lad is performing very well at the moment but I do worry that along with Casemiro we have a very slow midfield.
Opposition seem to get through our midfield so easy whenever they inject a bit of pace and I hope Erik is addressing that issue.
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Yea, Mainoo isn't slow and he can hold his own but he's not a destroyer.

Onana from Everton would be good next to him or somebody similar. Would be nice if we finally fixed our Midfield for the first time in about 20 years.
 
The thing that impresses me most is that in the games he plays, he has a very high "low point" which I've only seen with a few United players before - Scholes, Irwin are the ones that immediately spring to mind. To think he's just 18 is mind boggling.
 
Hughes35 said:
Yea, Mainoo isn't slow and he can hold his own but he's not a destroyer.

Onana from Everton would be good next to him or somebody similar. Would be nice if we finally fixed our Midfield for the first time in about 20 years.
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He is slow but thankfully he is smart with his positioning so it is not that noticeable.
Definitely needs someone with a bit of pace to play alongside him.
 
I'm undecided whether our team would be best with a Frenkie / joao Neves type player next to him or a proper 6 Onana/Rice style player.
Arguably if we had both then we could switch up tactics depending on the opposition and have true mastery in midfield.

I think this season it's worth a shot playing Mainoo and Amrabat together if Casemiro looks finished/on holiday. I think that combination is severely underrated and would work quite well. Only tried out at Anfield if IIRC which is not a fair trial as we were in poor form and getting dominated.
 
A prime Carrick next to him would be fantastic.

My knowledge of the in-flavour DMs isn't strong at the moment - but getting a proper CDM next to him so he has a bit more license to roam would be fantastic.
 
BabySinclair said:
Bellingham would play ahead of Rice and Mainoo....but this midfield would be 100% perfect.....and they could play together for many years (Rice is 25-years old).
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and to think... both Rice and Bellingham were available for transfer in the past 12 months
 
He looks like he can be the real deal with the right temperament guidance and luck

he looks like he kinda has the work rate of Keane and the composure of Scholes on the ball. With experience his positioning and awareness etc will naturally improve.

but has only had a handful of games, he is a beacon in a shocking season but we need give him time, let him make mistakes, let him have bad games, let him to continue to learn before judging him properly.

hopefully he doesn’t get called up to England just yet, the English press love putting pressure on young United prospects just rub their hands with glee if they falter.

seen him do a couple interviews after games already Fergie wouldn’t be allowing that.
 
Obviously the previous poster was exaggerating but his overall comment is about patience which makes sense.

Lots of young players have dips (even experienced players do), they are more prone to injury, they are not used to the emotional pressure, more games to play in shorter time frames, media scrutiny and opponents haven't worked him out yet.

He clearly has talent and has been one of our best players in recent weeks.

And yes...there have been plenty of players to come through at 18 years or younger and immediately impress. Staying at that level is the hard bit.
 
I honestly thought more people would be interested in that video.
 
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