Michael Carrick has explained why Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo showed a “natural kind of flow” in one of his performances under him.
Kobbie Mainoo has featured in all nine of the Red Devils’ Premier League matches under interim boss Michael Carrick and has been in the starting XI on each occasion.
The 20-year-old Stockport-born talent has completed the full 90 minutes in all but one of his nine Premier League appearances since Carrick returned to Old Trafford.
Carrick’s Manchester United tactics have relied on Mainoo returning to the Red Devils starting XI and playing in the two-man midfield pivot alongside Casemiro.
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Kobbie Mainoo at the end of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, in 2026.
Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images
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Michael Carrick breaks down the importance of Kobbie Mainoo’s Man Utd midfielder performance against Aston Villa
Kobbie Mainoo was withdrawn for the first time under Michael Carrick in the 77th minute of Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to 10-man Newcastle earlier this month.
Amad Diallo replaced Mainoo in the second half of United’s encounter with Newcastle at St James’ Park, which marked Carrick’s first loss as interim head coach.
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Fast-forward from the Newcastle result and Mainoo looked like he was in his complete element in United’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa last Sunday afternoon.
The Red Devils talent’s performance in United’s clash with Aston Villa impressed interim manager Carrick for how he “did a little bit of everything” from his role.
“I think he’s done really well,” Carrick said at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, as per the Manchester Evening News.
“Not having a lot of football for a period of time to come in and play a run of games and find your rhythm.
“I think he did that really quickly and there’s a natural kind of flow, really, and I thought he was really good again on the weekend.
“Putting in a performance where he did a little bit of everything and controlled the game and spells when he had to defend and it was really impressive.”
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Michael Carrick looks on prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester United at St James’ Park in 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
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Michael Carrick on Kobbie Mainoo’s future after his resurgence in form at Man Utd
Mainoo had been left battling for United first-team minutes under former Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim earlier in the 2025-26 Premier League season at Old Trafford.
The England international fell down the pecking order after Ruben Amorim opted to play Bruno Fernandes in the two-man midfield pivot in his Man Utd tactical system.
Carrick, who immediately pivoted away from Amorim’s United tactics, insisted that Mainoo has the real chance to thrive even further at Old Trafford in his career.
“He can always improve on a lot of things, that’s the age he’s at, just for starters,” he said.
“There’s so much more to come and develop and that’s just natural, that’s not a negative on Kobbie, that’s just the stage he’s in his career, so hopefully he has got a lot [of] layers to improve and keep developing on that.”
Mainoo has made 23 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils in the 2025-26 season and the Man Utd ace has picked up three assists so far.
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