From Rasmus Hojlund to Marcus Rashford, from Antony to Scott McTominay, from Dean Henderson to Alvaro Carreras, we’ve seen quite a few players thrive after leaving Manchester United. And up until recently, it seemed that Kobbie Mainoo was set to be the next player to excel after trading Old Trafford for greener pastures. Instead, United fans’ worries have been alleviated by the midseason appointment of Michael Carrick, who could very well prove to be the lifeboat that Mainoo had been searching for in order
to get his career back on track in Manchester.
Born on April 19, 2005 in Stockport, England, Mainoo joined Manchester United’s academy at nine years of age and eventually ascended the ranks at Carrington, earning himself his senior debut with the first team in January 2023.
After making a handful of appearances under new manager Erik ten Hag, Mainoo established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet under Ten Hag, delivering the winning goal and a Man of the Match performance in a 2-1 victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup and drawing praise from the likes of Wayne Thomas. Having emerged as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League, Mainoo then headed to Germany and gradually worked his way into Gareth Southgate’s starting line-up, starting for England in the Euro semifinal and final.
However, the midseason departure of Ten Hag and the subsequent arrival of Ruben Amorim would see him descend deeper and deeper down the pecking order, with the two proving to be at odds with one another, and it nearly materialized in Mainoo joining McTominay and Hojlund at the reigning Scudetto winners.
After riding the bench for the first two matches of the season, Mainoo then played the full 90 and assisted Bryan Mbuemo’s goal in their 2-2 draw vs. Grimsby Town, converting his spot-kick in an eventual 12-11 defeat in the EFL Cup. He then came off the bench in their next seven fixtures before missing two in a row, followed by four substitute cameos from his next five, only to spend the next month with a calf injury. Desperate for regular playing time ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Mainoo would depart on loan in January, potentially even with an option or obligation to buy.
Instead, Amorim was sacked following back-to-back draws to Wolves and Leeds, with Darren Fletcher taking charge on an interim basis. His first match in charge coincided with Mainoo’s return to fitness, with the English midfielder replacing Casemiro for the final quarter-hour of their 2-2 draw at Burnley. Mainoo then partnered Manuel Ugarte in the double pivot as the Red Devils lost 2-1 to Brighton in the FA Cup, before bouncing back at the weekend against Manchester City under new permanent manager Michael Carrick.
Amorim had often lamented that Mainoo was competing against Bruno Fernandes for the same spot, but he proved that to be a fallacy at Old Trafford – he proved that they could coexist. Rather than trying to shoehorn Mainoo into a 3-4-3, Carrick allowed him to shine in his natural shuttling midfield role, operating alongside Casemiro and slightly behind Bruno Fernandes.
Whilst Patrick Dorgu provided defensive cover at left winger, Mainoo put in his fair share of work defensively and was constantly aware to Antoine Semenyo’s threat, making a number of last-ditch interventions and holding his own in physical challenges. He won 6 out of 12 duels, made 1 recovery and 1 blocked shot apiece, as well as winning 2 interceptions and 2 clearances and completing 2 out of 3 tackles. Similar to Felipe Martins, Mainoo proved to be the complete profile as an all-action midfielder, completing 32 out of 35 passes as well as 1 shot on target. But he didn’t try to do too much and risk giving away possession – he completed 1 out of 2 dribbles, made just two unsuccessful touches, and gave away the ball on 8 occasions. Going up against a star-studded midfield featuring the likes of Bernardo Silva, Rodri, and Phil Foden, Mainoo held his own and spearheaded United to a 2-0 win against City, their first victory since December 26.
Managers come and go, but homegrown talents like Kobbie Mainoo only come around ever so often. And despite making his first Premier League start of the season, Mainoo rose to the occasion and came up clutch across the entirety of their victory, and he’ll be looking to deliver them to another momentous victory as they take on league leaders Arsenal in North London. After being trapped in the prison of an uncompromising manager, Mainoo now has the chance to redeem himself and reassert his status as United’s midfield metronome under Carrick.
