When Bellingham can do so well at Real Madrid this season, I don’t see why Mainoo couldn’t do the same for us.
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Bellingham played multiple seasons of senior football at Birmingham and Dortmund before going to Real Madrid, he was also already a full England international that had played in a world cup.
We should stop putting so much pressure on this kid. Bellingham is an anomaly, not a normality. Mainoo is talented, but we are yet to see him in the PL consistently.
You might as well insert the name of any other teenage footballer on our books instead of Mainoo in that post. It would make as much sense.
Bellingham is a world class talent with what is now a couple of years of senior football behind him. Mainoo is an 18-year-old kid that has looked good in the 2 (?) games he has started. These two might as well exist in separate realities.
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We've seen nothing from this kid to suggest that he's anywhere close to Bellingham's talent, calm the feck down.
This poor kid just doesn't stand a chance if these lofty goals are continually placed upon him.
Well said, it's like many posters think he would transform the team, which is possible, but unlikely. Let him play 20 + matches before we start judging him, players mature at different rates, so it may be a while before he transforms the team.
Same, still befuddles me how Wout didn't match Haaland's numbers last season
No pressure, just be the best Man Utd player ever and hit the ground running.
A slightly more apt comparison would be Gavi — a tenacious tidy enough midfielder who came through the ranks, got his chance and very much took it.
Feck it. Why not compare him to a young Messi? He was taking La Liga by storm at this age. No reason Mainoo can’t do the same.
Messi has never done it in the PL
Totally get all the comparisons, Bellingham, Gavi etc young, Mainoo young, Bellingham 2 legs, Mainoo 2 legs...I could go on. Plain as the nose on your face.
Yes, but Bellingham has had two seasons to prove that he's a world class talent. We're all looking at Bellingham in hindsight, but prior to these two years someone had to give him serious minutes at a high level at the same age that Mainoo is now.
Redcafe often eats its own tail. Doesn't want bright talents to play too much, but wants to see bright talents grow like Bellingham on fraction of the exposure time.
They both also have noses on their faces too
I think it's possible to both want Mainoo to play but not also laud him as the next Bellingham, us lot arguing about it on here seems a bit moot because all signs point to Ten Hag wanting to use him anyway.
This is what I'm saying. Uncanny.
Mainoo is a quality talent, but he will be a different type of player to Bellingham. I think they'd be great together with a pure DM behind them. Hopefully we will see it tried with England in the future.
What on earth is going on in here. Kids barely played, unlikely to get as many minutes this season as Garnacho did last year.
He's been injured. Would have had plenty of minutes otherwise.
Come on man…
It’s just the Caf being the Caf. We love the idea of a player - as in a potential signing, or a youth player who has hardly played - far more than the actual reality of the players we have, who we think are all terrible and need to be sold. Once Mainoo has played a few more games, he’ll probably move into the latter category.
I doubt it - probably a league cup start.
Edit - he'd have got the Mjebri minutes wouldn't he.
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Sometimes though, we produce kids who aren't the ones who are lauded by the casuals like Savage and Iqbal were and they are genuinely very good. Garnacho is one and Mainoo will be another.
Mainoo is a real talent. I expect him to be a big player for us when needed this season.
Utterly insane the things I'm reading in here.
Always the way, overhype the young players then they can never live up to those expectations. Some people don’t realise the gulf in difference between u23 football and premier league
Some utter sensational comments in this thread. Let the kid breath.
When he comes back I expect him to marshal our broken midfield, improve us offensively and defensively, score some crucial goals, and fix our mentality.
No pressure, kid.(Did I miss anything?)
No pressure, kid.(Did I miss anything?)
Come on be realistic and include all what he can do for us. He is definitely also going to solve our defensive issues, solve our injury issues and most importantly with him on the field Onana would be a better goalkeeper :-)
You joke, but the funny thing is he actually will solve all of those issues single handedly lol
Ffs, what is wrong with this forum.
I am very serious, also I expect him to position himself so well and guide Rashford and Bruno to improve their games to their top level... Cannot wait to see him being a permanent starter within next 2-3 weeks :-)
We have been so poor that people have to put so much hope on Hojlund, Hannibal, Mainoo. It’s not fair to them if they don’t match that expectation.
As one who has been championing the kid from the of I feel the need to speak up a little bit. Is it possible to be excited by his talent without expecting him to be our saviour?
I know folk are probably trying to prevent to inevitable backlash being too bad if he does have a bad game, but to me I don’t see his age. Clearly he has to be worked back into contention after his injury and earn his place but he got in an around the first team due to talent and hard work.
People don’t like comparisons because some who are easily led will take it as as guarantee rather than what it is. However players with a similar level of talent at a similar age to him now have seized their chances when given. I don’t believe all the youth in our academy have the talent to make it, but give the standouts a chance.
I know folk are probably trying to prevent to inevitable backlash being too bad if he does have a bad game, but to me I don’t see his age. Clearly he has to be worked back into contention after his injury and earn his place but he got in an around the first team due to talent and hard work.
People don’t like comparisons because some who are easily led will take it as as guarantee rather than what it is. However players with a similar level of talent at a similar age to him now have seized their chances when given. I don’t believe all the youth in our academy have the talent to make it, but give the standouts a chance.
Expecting a talent to come in and solve our problems is indicative of how far we have fallen as a club. Less than 8 years ago when Martial lit up Old Trafford on his Debut or when Rashford burst through, nobody saw them as "saviours" or even "missing pieces". They were just exceptional talents who we hoped were going to reach the very top.
Now every one of our highly rated youngsters is supposed to come in and immediately lift the collective level of the team. It's one of the reasons talent barely thrives at our club.
I dont get this saviour stuff. Who expects him to be one?
If some posters wrote in that manner it doesnt mean lot of people expect him to be a saviour at all. Just that he can help us in midfield if nothing by being one of the options availabe. If someone indeed expects him to come and solve our issues than its mental, no other word for it.
If some posters wrote in that manner it doesnt mean lot of people expect him to be a saviour at all. Just that he can help us in midfield if nothing by being one of the options availabe. If someone indeed expects him to come and solve our issues than its mental, no other word for it.
I don't see hojlund and mainoo as the same. One is a youth player who has never really played men's football, the other is a player that cost what, 60 million? I expect a lot more of hojlund than I do mainoo.
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