Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Manchester United have had a poor season to date, but individually, Kobbie Mainoo has been sensational and has established himself as arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League. In one aspect, it isn’t even debatable.
So far this season, there has been a clear positive for Manchester United in the form of Kobbie Mainoo. In comparison to last season, Mainoo is twice the player evolving in every area of his game and forming a solid pairing with Youri Tielemans.
Michael Carrick has hailed Mainoo for his development, signalling where Ruben Amorim went wrong to have written the 21-year-old off and pushed him toward the exit doors. This season has seen Mainoo’s passing improve massively thanks to the impact of Carrick.
But it is actually without the ball that Mainoo is now leading the league, sending a clear reminder to Amorim of how wrong he actually was.
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Kobbie Mainoo leads the Premier League in ball-winning
Amorim had several issues with Mainoo, one being his lack of physicality and defensive awareness, which he wanted in midfield alongside the freer Bruno Fernandes. Admittedly, this used to be a problem for Mainoo, but in the past nine months, he has turned it into one of his biggest strengths.
This is Mainoo’s ability to win possession, as he currently tops the Premier League charts for possession won, having done so more than any player in the league this season.
Outside of goalkeepers, Mainoo tops the list, having won possession back 39 times, which is actually more than Senne Lammens. Closely following Mainoo is Lewis Hall on 37, and then Alex Scott on 35.
This is impressive and shows the massive change Mainoo has made to his game, being the one to do the dirty work in midfield, always quick to get back in transition, and is increasingly becoming a bit of a star off the ball, answering the big doubt Amorim previously had about him playing next to Fernandes. When in actuality, putting Mainoo in the Casemiro role might have seen Amorim have much more success than the Brazilian brought him.
Mainoo’s ideal partner is Carlos Baleba, which probably massively changes his role from being required to do the running and hard work to being more progressive, in the way Tielemans has been this season. Long term, Mainoo shouldn’t be a six, and despite his success, the way he is shining this season isn’t exactly a good thing, as he is being used incorrectly.
Kobbie Mainoo playing against Man City
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Mainoo is being wrongly deployed for Manchester United
Mainoo has been the shining light this season for United, but his quality has come in areas of the pitch that don’t highlight his real top qualities. This is because he is filling a role and being asked to do a lot of work when his best comes on the ball.
Through adding defensive quality to his game, Mainoo has shown Amorim to be so very wrong. But on the flip side, so is Carrick to be wasting him in the ball-winning role.
Mainoo should be getting the ball around the edge of the box, working in tight spaces, and impacting games instead of being the deepest midfielder and having to recover to protect the terrible defensive line that United currently has.
Baleba’s introduction will help here, as he will be the mobile midfielder, allowing Mainoo to play with more control and push up the pitch, knowing that he has that protection behind him.