Kobbie Mainoo ran the show in midfield for Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham, but Michael Carrick is urging the public to ease their expectations towards the developing midfield star.
The turnaround since Michael Carrick returned to Manchester United as head coach has been remarkable. A winning run of four matches for the first time this season, sitting in the top four, and the team is playing with freedom.
United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday afternoon raised further questions of Ruben Amorim’s handling of Kobbie Mainoo because the academy graduate continued his run of impressive displays alongside Casemiro.
Amorim would often overlook Mainoo, refusing to start the 20-year-old in a single Premier League match this season before getting sacked at the beginning of January.
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The return of Carrick coincided with Mainoo’s return from injury. He has since shown why Amorim was wrong not to make him a regular in his team.
Carrick will be doing his utmost to get the best out of Mainoo for the remainder of the season.
Kobbie Mainoo tackles Joao Palhinha
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Michael Carrick pleased with Kobbie Mainoo’s performance
Mainoo continued his renaissance against Tottenham, earning a 9/10 score in the United In Focus player ratings.
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United registered his first assist of the season to set up Bryan Mbeumo for United’s opening goal in the first half, but he also dictated the tempo of the game with Casemiro.
With Carrick appearing to settle on a new midfield pairing, one Amorim ignored for months, the newly appointed head coach is trying to manage expectations around Mainoo.
Carrick doesn’t want the public putting extra pressure on Mainoo’s shoulders as he’s still at the early stages of his development in the senior game, despite the experience he has gained thus far.
“There’s no doubt about Kobbie’s ability or what he can bring,” Carrick told reporters at his post-match press conference.
“He’s still so young, so let’s be careful of putting so much on his shoulders, and expecting so much from him.
“I think he’s still learning the game but because he’s had a big high and then didn’t play for a bit, it’s easy to think he’s a lot older and more experienced probably than he is.
“Credit to him, he came right in and found his rhythm of football, which is not easy after a period of time off.”
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All Mainoo can do is work on his consistency now. That can be a difficult step for young, developing players, but he has shown it against strong opposition in recent weeks.
It helps Mainoo that he is surrounded by experienced players in the middle of the pitch, such as Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.
Kobbie Mainoo stats vs Tottenham
It was Mainoo’s first-ever win over Tottenham, but doing so as a standout performer made it a statement display for the England international.
Mainoo played 89 minutes and created four chances, with one of them ended up as an assist for Mbeumo.
The midfield ace completed 94% of his passes on top of seven defensive contributions.
Moreover, Mainoo touched the ball 95 times and was dispossessed just twice.
Tottenham were unable to get anywhere near Mainoo in the middle of the pitch.
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