Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Kobbie Mainoo’s continued evolution into a world-class player will be exciting to watch this season, and he’s just one skill away from replicating his idol, Clarence Seedorf.
The biggest beneficiary of Michael Carrick becoming the Man Utd manager is undoubtedly Kobbie Mainoo, who was frozen out by Ruben Amorim.
Amorim has already been made to look silly, so there’s no point hammering home that point.
However, that doesn’t mean that Mainoo has nothing left to prove anymore. In fact, he is just one trait away from transforming himself into Clarence Seedorf 2.0.
Photo credit should read GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images
Seedorf/Mainoo
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Kobbie Mainoo’s journey towards Clarence Seedorf 2.0
Seedorf was one of the finest midfielders of his generation, and, if anything, his style of play has aged like fine wine in the current era of football.
He was all-action personified as a midfielder who could do everything in both phases of the game.
Mainoo, in contrast, broke through as a deep-lying playmaker who would rather have the ball than spend the game chasing after it and winning it back.
However, that all changed last season under Carrick, when Mainoo added defensive work rate and physicality to his game.
The value of what Mainoo gave this team off the ball was realised only when Casemiro went to the World Cup and got exposed for his lack of mobility.
With the trickery on the ball already going past what Seedorf was capable of, and the off-ball work rate matching the Dutchman, Mainoo had taken a huge step towards becoming Seedorf 2.0.
Just a final step remains on the journey that will actually make him better than the player he considers his idol.
Range of passing will transform Mainoo
There is just one thing Mainoo slightly struggles with, compared to the world-class standards he sets in other areas of his game.
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Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Mainoo can carry the ball, evade the press, form passing triangles, track back, use his physicality, and strike the ball cleanly when he comes alive in the attacking box.
The one thing he is below-par at is his range of passing, as he’s much more of a “cute” passer than a relentless one.
It’s why Amorim played Bruno Fernandes in the deeper role in his midfield, and why Youri Tielemans is the perfect mentor for Mainoo.
Once Mainoo adds play-switching ability and long-passing beyond the defensive line to his game, he will transform into a complete midfielder.
At that point, you could even say that he will become better than Seedorf was, which is the highest compliment he can get due to the Dutchman being his idol.