Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Kobbie Mainoo has been a man possessed this season for Manchester United, with some sensational performances proving he has evolved as a player.
After two stunning games in the Premier League to begin his season, Kobbie Mainoo was elite against Sabah as well to continue his movement toward being one of the best in the league.
As brilliant as Mainoo has been since his breakthrough, this season, he has been on a completely different stratosphere.
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Manchester United v Sabah FC - UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1
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Kobbie Mainoo’s 2026/27 improvement at Manchester United
The 2026/27 campaign has only just started, yet early signs are that Mainoo is about to really come into his own as a footballer with a season that shoots him into world-class conversations.
Using Data MB’s comparison graphic, the improvements that Mainoo has made to his game this season are night and day.
Statistic (percentile) Mainoo 25/26 Mainoo 26/27
Duel winning 41 89.1
Possession won 41.5 72.2
Progressive carries 60.7 89.1
Forward passes 92.4 77.3
Key passes 53 78.5
Progressive passes 19.7 79.5
As you can see from his percentile rankings this season, Mainoo has taken his game up massively and has become incredibly well-rounded.
Mainoo has arguably been the best midfielder in the Premier League this season, better than Man City’s £116m and £125m pair Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez.
For Mainoo to make such huge improvements in a relatively short space of time is a testament to Michael Carrick, who has overseen the 21-year-old grow as a footballer in every department.
If this trend continues, it will be massive for United as Mainoo will be the best in the Premier League, with Carlos Baleba his long-term dream partner.
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Michael Carrick says experience is behind Mainoo improvements
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Danyal Khan, Carrick has declared that he believes that experience is behind Mainoo’s impressive improvements.
“I think experience certainly helps, and continuity, consistency of rhythm of playing games, and feeling that confidence as well.
“Kobbie’s improving all the time. As you’d hope at his age, he’s got a lot to come still.
“That’s really exciting because he’s doing some really, really great things and has done so for a good period of time since we’ve worked together.
“I’m excited about what his potential is and how he can make the most of that over the coming weeks, the coming months, and years ahead.”
Carrick says it best: How good will Mainoo be in the coming weeks, months, and years, if he is already establishing himself at 21 as a league-leading midfielder?
At 21, he still has so many levels left to grow.
Mainoo embodies United, and to see him back playing football despite missing 12 months of his career due to Ruben Amorim is brilliant.
Now, United need him to boss the derby and put City’s overpriced pairing in their place.