[Lentwood]

Janusaj and TFM never demonstrated world class potential.

I could give you my opinion on Janujaz but think I'll defer to a few of his ex-coaches, teammates and managers.

Ferguson said: "We know we've got a really special talent, but we'll keep his feet on the ground. He's going to be a top, top player."

Moyes even compared the teenager's abilities to a young Wayne Rooney and added that "he has characteristics of Johan Cruyff".

Eric Harrison - the mastermind behind United's Class of 92 - said: "Januzaj is outstanding and I think he is similar to Cristiano Ronaldo."

Gary Neville said: "However, I genuinely think this guy could be one of the best in the world."

Robin van Persie declared: "Over the years I've seen so many young players and I can honestly say that of all the young players I've seen he is right up there in the top one or two. He's a special player."

TFM I accept is a more subjective one, but he was an absolute monster in the youth teams and looked set for a huge career until two serious knee injuries derailed him. Still ended up playing for the Netherlands and in the Premier League.

 

[BluesJr]

Look. An actual midfielder. It’s been over 10 years.

 

[Rozay]

Frenkie is some 15 cm higher I think. But the style is somewhat similar

And a bit lighter.

 

[CallyRed]

The biggest winners tonight are the I told you so crew. They can sleep easy.

 

[Borys]

Frenkie is some 15 cm higher I think. But the style is somewhat similar

it's closer to 5cm. FDJ played CB sometimes for Barca if I recall.

 

[Plant0x84]

He didn’t just swim, he was on a lilo smoking a cigar, pure class!

Yeah boy!
(As long as it isn’t Maguires fecking unicorn!)

 

[Anustart89]

Said it during the FA Youth Cup final that he just looks like a proper footballer whenever you watch him. So effortless with and without the ball. Noticed one time he was telling McTominay where to go when they rotated positions in order for McTominay to present a passing option for the defenders.

 

[Pughnichi]

For once I'm not worried about a midfielder we have. People don't understand how good Mainoo is. He's always two steps ahead when on the ball, he's one of those midfielders that you can't get near and the opposition won't even bother to try and give up after a while.

The first minute is a good example, simple 1-2 when surrounded by Everton Midfielders to get out of a tight situation. The most impressive thing about Mainoo is that he knows what he's going to do before receiving the ball, which is a rare trait for a Manchester United midfielder post Scholes/Carrick and is the reason why I'm optimistic about him.

He's so good that barring injuries he'll be on the plane with the England squad this summer.

I thought this actually happened today early in the second half. He was effectively playing quarter back role and received the ball deep inbeteeen the two cbs and on at least two occasions nobody went near him to apply the press. Everton had seen enough

its gotta be a bit embarrassing for McT, Amrabat and the rest of the team really when he was the one out there who looked most assured and calm in possession. And was proactive and positive with it. Not just playing safe

there was a moment in the second half when Bruno received it in moderate space on the half turn and he just wellied it up and over the top to nobody. Possession lost. This kid ain’t one to relinquish possession quite so easily.

a joy to watch today. Hopefully he doesn’t get the Mjebri treatment and goes missing for a month after a sold performance.

honestly I’d love to see these two in midfield together. Technically sound. Battlers. Awareness of others around them.

ooh that’s a brave call about the England call up. I must admit to thinking the same if a) he doesn’t get injured b) he’s trusted with game time after his performance level today c) he maintains the same level

nothing more frustrating seeing a young lad play well and then get binned for the older, seasoned (but lesser) players

 

[CM]

A midfielder who is good at passing and moving with the ball, what a refreshing change.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Imagine when he grows his body out and gets even more physically dense and sturdier. He'll be able to take a ball and turn at will.

There were a few times, he could have caught and if he continues to play, maybe the opposition will target him but boy it brings tears of joy to see his touches in the middle of the park.

We just need to making fecking sure he's not going to get asked to defend and dictate the midfield himself just like we did with Casemiro and Amrabat. McT was invisible today as per usual.

 

[Licha-Vidic]

Best midfield performance of the season for us in my opinion.

It's very easy when you have genuine midfielders.
If we can't buy genuine quality midfielders then we should coach the team or elevate youngsters from academy Mainoo style. Midfield is our main problem where we lack genuine quality

 

[Amsterdam Devil]

Frenkie is some 15 cm higher I think. But the style is somewhat similar

It’s very similar to the way Frenkie played at Ajax. And Frenkie wasn’t this good when he was 18.

 

[Devil77]

Reminded me of Pogba’s (second) debut for us. Hope it turns out better for young Mainoo.

 

[Alemar]

It’s very similar to the way Frenkie played at Ajax. And Frenkie wasn’t this good when he was 18.

And that’s why we need Casemiro back as soon as possible. It would be a good pairing in the middle - Mainoo more of a DLP and Casemiro a box to box

 

[SadlerMUFC]

Under no circumstances could that be rated a 6/10 performance, and I don't agree that he gave the ball away a lot. Add in the fact that it was the lad's first start in a tough away performance, and that he didn't get adequate support from some of his team mates, and I think people on here have every right to be excited about the prospects for this kid. He was exceptional for me.

I am excited for him and what comes next. But that wasn't an 8/10. If McTominay gives the same performance he probably get a 5.5. It was 6.5/10 at the most, which is great for a kid coming in. But our biggest problem today was the midfield, so I have a problem giving MOTM to a player who was part of the 3 that couldn't control the game...

 

[SadlerMUFC]

I think you need a visit to Specsavers, he was the best player on the pitch

No he wasn't. Onana was...

 

[Oscar Bonavena]

Looks the real deal. Calm in possession, good positional sense and keeps it simple. Brilliant goal line clearance and block in the first half.

Hard to know how to manage him, should ETH just make him first choice now? The received wisdom is that young players need to be "eased in" to a team but he looks mature enough to handle the pressure right now.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

He was the most accurate passer of the entire starting XI.

Ok??

 

[Adnan]

It’s very similar to the way Frenkie played at Ajax. And Frenkie wasn’t this good when he was 18.

Frenkie wasn't a regular starter at Willem II at the same age. And he only became a regular in the Ajax first team at 20 years of age.

It was clear during pre-season that ten Hag was developing Mainoo for the deeper midfield role and hence signing Mount for the advanced attacking midfield role to improve our defending from the front was seen as the correct balance after the pastings we took last season where our defending from the front was very poor against the top teams. Then we lost Mainoo, Shaw and Martinez to long-term injuries, which is a big blow to our build up capabilities. There's still issues but I'm very optimistic about our mid to long-term prospects. I think Murtough has done a good job at academy level where the structure he put in place is going to bear fruit. I think there's going to be at least another one or two central midfielders knocking on the first team door in the next few years. Darren Fletcher's son (Jack) also looks a really big midfield prospect.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

He had the highest pass percentage of any of our starting players and constantly took the ball and ran the ball under pressure and being closed down, perfectly using all the time available to find a teammate in a good position. Instead of what we usually have which was our players constantly passing backwards whenever someone puts pressure on them

We couldn't string 3 passes together. I know that when a kid comes in we want them to do so well that we see things that aren't actually happening. Don't get me wrong. He was good. But it wasn't anything special. I think he's going to be good, but if we start giving out 8/10 for him just because he's young we are going to end up putting unrealistic expectations on him and end up leaving ourself disappointed when we realize that the 8's we were giving were really just 6's

 

[Tender Teacher]

Didn’t know this lad was from Stockport. I work in Stockport. Another quality player from Stockport after Foden.

I drove through Stockport just last month.

 

[Coops73]

No he wasn't. Onana was...

This is a wing up right ?

 

[Ekeke]

We couldn't string 3 passes together. I know that when a kid comes in we want them to do so well that we see things that aren't actually happening. Don't get me wrong. He was good. But it wasn't anything special. I think he's going to be good, but if we start giving out 8/10 for him just because he's young we are going to end up putting unrealistic expectations on him and end up leaving ourself disappointed when we realize that the 8's we were giving were really just 6's

He was exactly what he needed to be, without being a Xavi or someone to dominate the midfield with passing instantly. He took the ball from the defenders and the opposing team pressed him with multiple players, he calmly ran the ball past them and found a pass to help us build up. Any of our other players are losing the ball or passing the ball backwards because they fear losing the ball. Mainoo was completely comfortable with the opposition's tactic of having their front players gamble and go and press.

This is what the likes of Barcelona and City look for in a player. Something that our young players usually dont have and a tactic that usually works exceptionally well against us. Its what Fred struggled against and one of the reasons we have struggled to play the ball out from the back.

We still didnt play well. But Mainoo was the one player on our team whos fault that was not. In fact he cleared a goal off the line covering for players. It was the senior players who needed to deliver a lot more. He gave a lot. Including 2 dribbles which is more than any teammate and with players constantly close and trying to take the ball off him.

 

[lex talionis]

What a boy. What a man.

 

[Alemar]

If McTominay gives the same performance he probably get a 5.5.

McTominay would never give such a performance - he simply doesn’t have this finesse, passing range and ball control. Mctominay may score a goal or two sometimes, he can win headers, but he is unable to control possession even to save his life.

 

[bosnian_red]

I thought he was good but how people are giving him MOTM is beyond me. He gave the ball away a lot and didn't really do anything special. He kept it simple, which is good, and he worked hard. I want to see more of him, but I think people are getting carried away here and are going to end up putting unrealistic expectations on him if we are giving him 8/10 for a 6/10 performance.

People in England saying "keeping it simple" for things like that is what led to the horrible underrating of midfielders like Scholes for years. Because what he did today isn't keeping it simple at all, in fact it's a very rare trait to actually do that, and it's the exact sort of midfielder that England has year after year just straight up failed to develop. Always move in the right positions to pick up the ball, dominate possession and have the most touches of the ball on the pitch, always evade pressure and progress the ball to an open man or open space, and being consistently reliable with his technique. Oh, and defensively and physically doing a great job. At the age of 18.

Instead, they criticize because he won't score or assist loads or provide highlight plays, without realizing that a natural 1st phase midfielder who is press resistant is an absolute must for a top team.

 

[Woziak]

Well England will definitely have the best midfield in decades with Bellingham, Mainoo and Rice there.

I’ve been saying this for ages this kid is the real deal and is a natural box to box 8, yes he can play as a mobile 6 but he’s a creative 8

 

[Woziak]

would love to see him alongside Casemiro. I believe he will bring the best out in the old fella

Totally agree with this and we can rotate Bruno, Mount and Eriksen as well.

 

[TsuWave]

Hard not to be excited we might finally have found a gem.

I think the academy’s output as of late hasn’t been too bad

 

[Blood Mage]

Best performance by any of our midfielders so far this season.

 

[limerickcitykid]

If McTominay gives the same performance he probably get a 5.5.

Mainoo finished the match with the most touches of the ball per minute in our side. McTominay would never give the same performance as he is entirely incapable of doing something as simple as touching the ball. In fact, he yet again did the complete opposite of Mainoo and finished dead last in touches per minute. Mainoo put in an actual midfielder's performance. McTominay was lost again.

If McTominay ever had the same performance and touched the ball so often he'd be given player of the season as people would be so shellshocked from him actually showing for the ball.

 

[Brightonian]

Vote Mainoo-Gore for 2024.

 

[Longlivekeano]

How old is this guy?

played with the brains of a 32 year old Carrick regen.

glad he didn’t try ambitious Hollywood 30m-40m passesand kept a cool head and kept it simple and moving.
Never knew he was good at tracking back. He stopped a few dangerous crosses coming in.

deserves to start more games ahead of McTominay who was really A headless chicken today and pretty invisible

 

[NewGlory]

Garnacho, Mainoo and Amad are hopefully foundation of our future success and what keeps me hopeful that the better days are ahead of us

 

[VivaObertan]

Just got home from the game. Can't decide if it's because people don't yet know how he responds to scenarios or not, but he was immaculate in the time he was on the pitch

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Tears of joy...

It's been years since our recruitment team bought someone who could actually do this. Thank God for our academy.

How do you spend £1 billion on transfers and not buy a single central midfielder who's happy to take the ball off your back line and carry it forward..?

Brilliant play.

 

[always_hoping]

Very impressive today providing he can keep himself fit he should be a useful addition to the team over the next few weeks and months ahead

 

[Remember the geese]

He gave the ball away a lot

What are you trying to achieve by lying?

 

[zapp]

Promising debut. Tidy in possession and carried the ball well at times. Hope he can stay healthy and nail a starting spot in midfield. We badly need more players with his attributes in there.

 

[Salt Bailly]

Arise, Sir Kobbie.