Paul Scholes' comments on Kobbie Mainoo have re-emerged after it was revealed that the Manchester United youngster could look to leave the club at the end of the transfer window. Mainoo broke through under Erik ten Hag and became a key part of the Dutchman's team, scoring in the 2024 FA Cup final and subsequently starring for England at that summer's Euros.
However, since Ruben Amorim's arrival at Old Trafford, Mainoo has struggled to get in the team, with Amorim saying he isn't capable of playing deeper in midfield due to a lack of defensive discipline. As a result, the 19-year-old has not featured at all for United in their opening two games and with speculation now surrounding his future at the club, Scholes' comments look all the more interesting.
Scholes' Mainoo Comments Re-Emerge
Taking to social media back in 2024, Scholes waxed lyrical about the up-and-coming talent, playing down comparisons to him.
"Read a few comparisons between me and this kid. Don’t waste your time, he is 10 times the player I was at 19. That calmness didn’t come for me as quick as it did for Kobbie. I’d say it came five or six years into my career. That’s why it amazes me. He’s so relaxed, the game’s so easy to him. It’s almost like poetry in motion. That calmness will be vital throughout his career. It’s [something] just in you.
"The sky’s the limit for this lad if he keeps his head down. And he looks like the type who will stay on an even keel."
Scholes would later go on and say that some of what Mainoo did was more reminiscent of Zinedine Zidane rather than himself.
"He’s the nearest thing I’ve seen to [Zinedine] Zidane in taking a ball, receiving the ball, cruising past people," the Premier League winner elaborated.
"I heard there was a young lad holding his own against Casemiro in training, sometimes better than him. But you have to go out and do it. The first time I saw him I remember that calmness. The way he received the ball with confidence; I just couldn’t believe such a young player could do that."
However, for all his ability on the ball, Mainoo still does not appear to be trusted in pressing and defensive actions by Amorim, which has seen the likes of Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte receive more minutes this term than the academy graduate.
Despite that, it is believed that Mainoo may be willing to consider a loan move away as he still believes he can have a future at the Theatre of Dreams.