Kobbie Mainoo is now firmly back in contention under Michael Carrick at Old Trafford and the Red Devils boss has issued an exciting prediction when it comes to the midfielder
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo has played 90 minutes in each of the last four games(Image: Getty Images)
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Michael Carrick believes there is ‘more to come’ from Kobbie Mainoo as his Manchester United renaissance rolls on. The midfielder looked set to have little future at Old Trafford under former boss Ruben Amorim having fallen out of contention under the Portuguese coach.
He was even linked with a move away from the club, Italian side Napoli among those interested in him. But Mainoo is now firmly back in the fold at United, having played 90 minutes in each of the last four games.
And it appears Carrick is a big fan, tipping Mainoo for a bright future. Speaking after Saturday’s 2-0 win vs Spurs, he said: “There’s definitely more to come from him, that’s just the age he’s at, the stage he’s at in his career you’d like to think, he’s just starting out really essentially. He has got so much experience under his belt in big games and pressured situations, which is going to help him develop learning the game.
“Playing next to Case [Casmiro] and learning off him, things that he’s probably not even realising he’s picking things up just by being next to him, as well as the other players around him, I think that’s just part of his journey to learn and develop.
“I’m really conscious that he’s come in, he’s played the four games and he’s found his rhythm. Young players, they have times when they’re up and then they might have a little dip. That’s not all of a sudden he’s good or he’s a poor player, Kobbie is what he is.
“Managing that’s really important, especially for younger players and understanding that. He’s doing fantastic at the moment, he’s having a really big impact on games, and we’ll keep working with him and helping him, trying to keep improving him as well as we go.
Asked how Mainoo has overcome a challenging season to re-establish himself as a key player at United, Carrick replied: “There’s no doubt of Kobbie’s ability and what he can bring, he’s still so young and let’s be careful of not putting so much right on his shoulders and expecting so much of him. He’s still learning the game.
Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo is now firmly back in contention at Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
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“Because he’s had the big high and then obviously didn’t play for a bit, it’s easy to think he’s a lot older and more experienced probably than he is. But credit to him, he’s come right in and find his rhythm with football, which is not easy after a period of time out and he’s found that physically and mentally.
“We know he can handle the ball and hopefully over time, I’m sure he’ll keep improving. We’ve got to be patient and not expect too much from him all the time.”
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