[Fortitude]

Mainoo has rejected City's approach several times over the last few years whilst playing youth level football if I'm not mistaken. I don't think we need to worry about him leaving, unless we still haven't progressed from our current level in ~5 years' time.

I'm more worried about whether we can find an elite level CDM for him and Bruno, before the latter starts declining eventually.

Try 2 or 3 at tops. Rejecting at youth level is a lot easier than when massive six-figure wages are being thrust under your nose as well as the chance to play in the first team with far better players who can facilitate your own game. Real will be knocking soon enough and that's "every kids dream" where he'd be surrounded by stars.

Removing City; it's still the logical progression for any player, which is why we need to get up to speed and not have him thinking along those lines further into his development.

 

[Rojofiam]

Try 2 or 3 at tops. Rejecting at youth level is a lot easier than when massive six-figure wages are being thrust under your nose as well as the chance to play in the first team with far better players who can facilitate your own game. Real will be knocking soon enough and that's "every kids dream" where he'd be surrounded by stars.

Removing City; it's still the logical progression for any player, which is why we need to get up to speed and not have him thinking along those lines further into his development.

We'll see. I personally don't know what kind of guy he is and how attached he is to United. Rashford could've left several times in the past but I reckon it was never really a serious option for him due to United being his boyhood club. Maybe Mainoo is like him, or maybe he will leave at 20 because we can't even consistently make top 4...but I do think it's not an issue for now.

 

[SonOfFergie]

He looks ready. There is zero reason not to promote him to first 11 regular. Build the new team around Mainoo, Shaw, Martinez, Garnacho, Hojlund. Put Bruno up as a 10. Onana in goal. And if we upgrade with quality at CB, RB CM, RW we could be getting somewhere. Sell Dalot, Wan Bissaka, Rashford, Antony, Casemiro, Varane to free wage and provide funds.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

We'll see. I personally don't know what kind of guy he is and how attached he is to United. Rashford could've left several times in the past but I reckon it was never really a serious option for him due to United being his boyhood club. Maybe Mainoo is like him, or maybe he will leave at 20 because we can't even consistently make top 4...but I do think it's not an issue for now.

Last year was the only year Rashford could even considered moving being a step up. One year out of 7 or something. In general he’s either been at our level or below it.

 

[Fortitude]

We'll see. I personally don't know what kind of guy he is and how attached he is to United. Rashford could've left several times in the past but I reckon it was never really a serious option for him due to United being his boyhood club. Maybe Mainoo is like him, or maybe he will leave at 20 because we can't even consistently make top 4...but I do think it's not an issue for now.

He's not even a 1st lock yet, nor getting the full brunt of the plaudits he will be, but as his star rises, the interest in him will intensify and the onus will be on the club to keep him sweet, which, at the moment can only come via wages and not the enticement of playing with leading lights such as...

It's not likely to be an issue for the next couple of seasons, but beyond that, if we've not progressed or aided in his development, it won't be unfeasible for him to have his head turned.

Rashford is different because our "projects" were a lot more believable and sellable then than now. Generally if you want special players to stay, you have to give them reasons beyond doubt to do so.

 

[Rojofiam]

Last year was the only year Rashford could even considered moving being a step up. One year out of 7 or something. In general he’s either been at our level or below it.

That's not true.

 

[Denis79]

I like him a lot, calm on the ball and a decent passer despite his age.

 

[Donut]

He’s the real deal. But he does look fairly slow, at least without the ball and we’ve yet to see too much of his long passing. We should take this into account when looking for a long term partner for him.

 

[Slevs]

Ice.

The only one in our midfield who can actually hold and dribble with the ball forward under pressure. Great pass to Garnacho as well.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

That pass to Garnacho was pretty sexy.

 

[Champ]

Does it matter that he only had 28 touches yesterday? Asking for a Scottish friend who gets accused of hiding with similar numbers.

Anyhow decent performance from the young man in a very attritional game. Definitely looks more comfortable with a workhorse next to him in the middle.

 

[sglowrider]

 

[Giant Midget]

The boy is going to be an absolute star.

Him and Greenwood are the only two youth players we've had that I've been absolutely certain are headed to the very top, and that's because they have the technique and are not just Vibes FC footballers.

 

[TMDaines]

Does it matter that he only had 28 touches yesterday? Asking for a Scottish friend who gets accused of hiding with similar numbers.

Anyhow decent performance from the young man in a very attritional game. Definitely looks more comfortable with a workhorse next to him in the middle.

Yeah, I saw Stretford Paddock’s post-match and I thought they were off their rocker criticising McTominay’s contribution on the ball yesterday, whilst praising Mainoo overall, who found himself on it even less, despite being in a deeper position.

 

[Dan_F]

Does it matter that he only had 28 touches yesterday? Asking for a Scottish friend who gets accused of hiding with similar numbers.

Anyhow decent performance from the young man in a very attritional game. Definitely looks more comfortable with a workhorse next to him in the middle.

Away at Anfield where we refused to play through midfield and had very limited possession or at home against Bournemouth?

He grew into game I thought and we should have played through him more in the second half, every time we did it looked like we could a set up a counter.

 

[Mike Smalling]

I like how they have inserted each of his actions twice in that video. One of them being inverted, so it looks like he did the actions in both the first and second half. The shirt numbers give it away though

 

[sglowrider]

I like how they have inserted each of his actions twice in that video. One of them being inverted, so it looks like he did the actions in both the first and second half. The shirt numbers give it away though

They made the effort to make these highlight videos different!

 

[Trequarista10]

I’m now worried Mainoo will jump ship for Real or Barcelona.

He's a great prospect, and a style of player that both England and United have struggled to produce. But realisitically, Barcelona produce a top quality, technically adept, creative midfielder virtually every season. And Madrid have their pick from all across the world.

 

[Champ]

Away at Anfield where we refused to play through midfield and had very limited possession or at home against Bournemouth?

He grew into game I thought and we should have played through him more in the second half, every time we did it looked like we could a set up a counter.

He had the least amount of touches of any player playing through the Middle, it's just a point of reference because it gets brought up in every discussion about our midfield.

 

[poleglass red]

He’s the real deal. But he does look fairly slow, at least without the ball and we’ve yet to see too much of his long passing. We should take this into account when looking for a long term partner for him.

yeah I've noticed that about him also. He's a brilliant little player though and as you say a bit of pace next to him should be a consideration on who we target moving forward.

 

[OL29]

He had the least amount of touches of any player playing through the Middle, it's just a point of reference because it gets brought up in every discussion about our midfield.

It’s not exactly surprising that people give a bit more leeway to an 18 year old in one of his first starts at Anfield than one of our most experienced players who’s done the same thing under multiple managers and in different set ups.

 

[lex talionis]

He's a great prospect, and a style of player that both England and United have struggled to produce. But realisitically, Barcelona produce a top quality, technically adept, creative midfielder virtually every season. And Madrid have their pick from all across the world.

I suppose we all know that, but Real may decide after a season or two of playing for us that it’s now time bring in Mainoo.

 

[MadDogg]

He had the least amount of touches of any player playing through the Middle, it's just a point of reference because it gets brought up in every discussion about our midfield.

And if it becomes a consistent thing with Mainoo he will definitely start being criticised for it. But in this situation where he's an 18yo starting just his 3rd game, playing away at Anfield in a struggling team, of course people won't criticise. Especially as the touches that he did have were generally quite good.

 

[DJ Jeff]

I suppose we all know that, but Real may decide after a season or two of playing for us that it’s now time bring in Mainoo.

It's far too early for that. We don't even know if he will be good enough here long term.

 

[CallyRed]

Does it matter that he only had 28 touches yesterday? Asking for a Scottish friend who gets accused of hiding with similar numbers.

Anyhow decent performance from the young man in a very attritional game. Definitely looks more comfortable with a workhorse next to him in the middle.

Ah now it makes sense.

 

[lex talionis]

It's far too early for that. We don't even know if he will be good enough here long term.

We actually do know that already. Sure, anything could go wrong -- he could become the next Ravel Morrison, Mason Greenwood or Jesse Lingard (all head cases in one way or another) or suffer a catastrophic, career-ending injury -- but short of a force majeure event we can be 100% certain that Kobbie Mainoo will be good enough for United for the long-term. After all, it's not as though United will be studded with galacticos throughout the squad any time soon.

The more interesting question is what type of midfielder will Mainoo be for United for the long-term and that's a question that none of us on 18 January 2023 can possibly answer.

 

[MyBloodIsRed]

What a player... did you see any other United players waving to hype up the away fans??? and an 18 year old playing against the club's biggest rivals?

 

[Teja]

I don't think he'll leave but we need to lock up the contract and give him plenty of time in the first team. As long as he's improving and getting game time he should be happy.

I don't know how people don't see the potential in this guy. How he uses his body to evade the press, his ball carrying, decision making, passing are all top notch (United first team quality) already. He's only going to get stronger / faster / more mature as time passes. He's not an explosive ball carrier like Pogba and his gait doesn't have any funky issues so I don't think he'll have issues with niggling injuries. Yeah sure, mentality is important and it's possible he'll pull a Sancho but let's see, there's no need to ding him for it when there's no evidence that he has a poor mentality (on the contrary, he looks up for it from what I've seen).

The defensive side of his game I'm not entirely sure about - seems to tackle / block okay but playing a single pivot in the Ten Hag side - he'll probably be overrun similar to Casemiro. We just have to stick with it and keep playing him and remember that the system needs to offer some protection to the players (DM / CBs). They can't do it all on their own. If you allow premier league attackers to run at you multiple times a game, they'll eventually get a goal.

 

[Champ]

And if it becomes a consistent thing with Mainoo he will definitely start being criticised for it. But in this situation where he's an 18yo starting just his 3rd game, playing away at Anfield in a struggling team, of course people won't criticise. Especially as the touches that he did have were generally quite good.

My point wasn't to criticize Mainoo, merely to actually highlight the fact that the amount of touches per game has little relevance to whether someone had a decent game or not.

 

[TheReligion]

Just reading this..

You all know he’s literally just signed a new 5 year contract right?

 

[criticalanalysis]

My point wasn't to criticize Mainoo, merely to actually highlight the fact that the amount of touches per game has little relevance to whether someone had a decent game or not.

Actually it seems your point is use one game from an 18 year old's performance in his third game away at Anfield to 'put into context' aka justify the amount or lack thereof touches McTominay has, over numerous games/setups and different managers.

There is absolutely a lot of relevance (alongside many other factors) to determine whether someone had a decent game or not. The important part is that people generally comment or judge over multiple games, which is where the large majority of McTominay's criticism come from.

Using this game to say 'Mainoo is being praised a lot here guys......but he didn't have that many touches just like McTominay! Ha I caught you out! Double standards. McT FTW'.

Strange.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Does it matter that he only had 28 touches yesterday? Asking for a Scottish friend who gets accused of hiding with similar numbers.

Anyhow decent performance from the young man in a very attritional game. Definitely looks more comfortable with a workhorse next to him in the middle.

One actually does hide from the ball and refuses to pass it progressively under pressure. The other welcomes the ball. Pretty simple observation when you watch both

 

[Cutch]

I want him to be that player coming deeper to pick the ball up off the back line rather than Amrabat. Think our build up is much better with him starting the attacks from that position. Ultimately I want to see him along with Casemiro, Bruno and Mount rather than Amrabat and McTominay

 

[MadDogg]

My point wasn't to criticize Mainoo, merely to actually highlight the fact that the amount of touches per game has little relevance to whether someone had a decent game or not.

Our midfielders having so few touches of the ball, so few passes, and doing so little with it when they do have it, is one of the main issues with us gaining possession and control of games. In arguably the most difficult match of the season, when the entire team setup was obviously more focused on defence against a better team, it's understandable. Not good, but understandable. Mainoo had a good game considering that and the fact he is so inexperienced. If he was similarly involved (or lack thereof) in most other games throughout the season it would be a much, much bigger problem. Especially if most of those passes were just to the most obvious simple option.

Despite the extreme difficulty of Mainoo's first few matches (away to Everton immediately after their point deduction, away to Galatasaray, away to Newcastle, a few minutes at home to Bayern, away to Liverpool), he's still passing the ball forward over 30% more, and making 20% more passes in general, than a certain other player averaged last season who was played in a similar position (who has since moved to a different position so I won't compare this season where the gap is much bigger).

 

[Jeppers7]

Incredibly composed for an 18 year old away at anfield in a struggling team under the cosh. That’s a pretty special performance given the context

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Does it matter that he only had 28 touches yesterday? Asking for a Scottish friend who gets accused of hiding with similar numbers.

Anyhow decent performance from the young man in a very attritional game. Definitely looks more comfortable with a workhorse next to him in the middle.

this is just sad

 

[Champ]

Our midfielders having so few touches of the ball, so few passes, and doing so little with it when they do have it, is one of the main issues with us gaining possession and control of games. In arguably the most difficult match of the season, when the entire team setup was obviously more focused on defence against a better team, it's understandable. Not good, but understandable. Mainoo had a good game considering that and the fact he is so inexperienced. If he was similarly involved (or lack thereof) in most other games throughout the season it would be a much, much bigger problem. Especially if most of those passes were just to the most obvious simple option.

Despite the extreme difficulty of Mainoo's first few matches (away to Everton immediately after their point deduction, away to Galatasaray, away to Newcastle, a few minutes at home to Bayern, away to Liverpool), he's still passing the ball forward over 30% more, and making 20% more passes in general, than a certain other player averaged last season who was played in a similar position (who has since moved to a different position so I won't compare this season where the gap is much bigger).

This is the crux of the issues, and one that I was simply trying to highlight and have done in this thread for a while.
We don't control midfield, and it doesn't really matter too much who we play there currently as we are not set up to control the middle.
Mainoo alone isn't the answer, just as McT isn't, it runs far deeper then that.

 

[MadDogg]

This is the crux of the issues, and one that I was simply trying to highlight and have done in this thread for a while.
We don't control midfield, and it doesn't really matter too much who we play there currently as we are not set up to control the middle.
Mainoo alone isn't the answer, just as McT isn't, it runs far deeper then that.

Nobody has ever said any one player is the answer. It's obviously a team effort. However, one player coming in who has strengths in those areas will obviously improve the bottom level, the average, and the ceiling of the entire team's ability to control things (all else being equal). They will make themselves available to pass to which makes it easier for the teammates, they can be trusted to receive the ball under pressure, and they can find the right passes themselves. It all has a knock-on effect.

Likewise, one player (especially in midfield) who has huge weaknesses at some of those basics of contributing to possession and tempo, has a negative knock-on effect on the entire team. It effectively makes it harder for other players to do their job, to deal with opposition press, for the team as a whole to find the right passes and control the tempo.

There is no one player who is at fault for our issues, just like there is no one player who will solve them. But some players are more at fault than others, just like some players could improve us more than others. It's too early to say for sure, but the early signs are that Mainoo will help us quite a bit.

 

[Champ]

Nobody has ever said any one player is the answer. It's obviously a team effort. However, one player coming in who has strengths in those areas will obviously improve the bottom level, the average, and the ceiling of the entire team's ability to control things (all else being equal). They will make themselves available to pass to which makes it easier for the teammates, they can be trusted to receive the ball under pressure, and they can find the right passes themselves. It all has a knock-on effect.

Likewise, one player (especially in midfield) who has huge weaknesses at some of those basics of contributing to possession and tempo, has a negative knock-on effect on the entire team. It effectively makes it harder for other players to do their job, to deal with opposition press, for the team as a whole to find the right passes and control the tempo.

There is no one player who is at fault for our issues, just like there is no one player who will solve them. But some players are more at fault than others, just like some players could improve us more than others. It's too early to say for sure, but the early signs are that Mainoo will help us quite a bit.

We literally had people in this thread saying our season depends on Mainoo! When it really doesn't, it depends on having a functional Midfield, or at least the players available to allow that to happen, ie a fully fit back four.

 

[dutchred]

We literally had people in this thread saying our season depends on Mainoo! When it really doesn't, it depends on having a functional Midfield, or at least the players available to allow that to happen, ie a fully fit back four.

Couldn't agree more we need the following to stay fit
Martinez, Shaw, Maguire and Varane
Casemiro Mainoo Eriksen, Bruno, Mount, Amrabat (back up Casemiro) and Gore
Rashford to find form, Hojlund, Garnacho, Amad

If this happens we couild certainly finish in the top 4

I hope we sign a young Centre Half as back up uo Varane (shame we sold Mengi) I like the look of Todibo from Nice