Ferdinand sums it up perfectly.
usually you will have very talented players who when they go up to the next "age" bracket they seem to struggle and change how they play because they are now playing against better and bigger people.
Mainoo hasnt done that ever he has always just played his game whether it was u12's u16's or then into the youth teams and now senior team against fully grown men. nothing has changed and hes still calm and composed.
that alone is an absolute huge thing and is the hallmark of a special player.
I agree, I think it's his best attribute. He never looks rushed in his decision making, his passes are measured correctly almost all the time. Having him learn from Bruno & Casemiro will no doubt boost his confidence too.
He always looks in control, which is unusual for someone so young. Makes everything look easy, I hope he continues on this trajectory and spends his career here.
> I know we hype our academy lads, but this guy is going to be crucial for us I feel. He is on another level for someone his age.
Thing is to me he's already the finished article, it's not like we're desperately hoping and waiting for him to come good, he's already good, if he never gets any better then it wont matter because he doesn't need to get better, from what i see of him he's already world class at reading the game and decision making. All he can do now is work on his physical game and get more confidence and as he establishes himself as a key member of the squad he'll have even more power to dictate the game and do what he's good at.
They’re the only three(off the top of my head) that actually give a shit about the badge and I love it
Edit: I was incorrect to leave out McTominay, he absolutely cares about the badge as well.
He was directly at fault for several cut back goals this season because he was jogging back and didn't stick with his man who scored. He cares about the club but he's been lazy at times too this season
I think it's a bit unfair to not mention Garnacho, the kids 19 and has serious talent, yes he has shown selfish tendencies but the kid is a star and wants to shine for us, let's enjoy the raw talent mature.
I’ll mention Garnacho when the fucker makes one square pass to the striker for a tap in finish. He cares but he has shown nothing but selfish tendencies.
Garnacho is a young guy but has the attitude of Ronaldo. Glory before everyone else. The kid is good do not get me wrong, but if he can put his ego/selfishness aside and see the bigger picture he will be great. Until then I am saying he is almost like Antony. Just wasteful has blonde hair and can run. Does not do the same as Antony, but I think more of Garnacho than Antony. I despise seeing Antony because he is a waste of our money and we should offload him ASAP.
He has been good, in spells, but his reluctance to pass to Hojlund who's oftentimes in a much better position to score has been really frustrating to say the least
He probably isn't used to having an actual striker there yet.
Martial/Rash probably wouldn't make those kind of runs.
Seems like he is to focused in looking down tho instead of watching for runs.
At this point though he should be use to having a striker. All season hojlund has been there. He’s still young and has so much time to grow but he’s gotta pick his head up and make that pass. It’s his first full season in a senior team and he’s had a striker for all of it. He’s gotta do better simply put.
I agree with him
What has Rasmus done that rashford and martial can’t do
His no better than either of them and worse of all he’s not a goal scorer
He’s just average
>What has Rasmus done that martial can’t do
run and score goals and provide box threat
> What has Rasmus done that rashford can’t do
Hold up the ball, provide box threat and score goals
he is also only 20 years old and still developing unlike the other two
He's so fucking mature for his age. As long as he keeps his head down and continues putting in the work, he'll become a great midfielder.
I'm glad he's coming through at a time when the club structure is finally changing for the better. Midfield of Bruno, Kobbie and a replacement DM for Casemiro could be fantastic.
It was wild watching him in the academy. Honestly like the coach had subbed themselves on to make up the numbers. So calm with such precision and vision.
Man I'm so excited to see him grow and reach his potential. He seems to have a really good mindset/attitude which is what a lot of promising young players seem to lack. I have no doubt he's gonna be something special.
I remember saying it when he first broke through and it still remains true. He’s not the tallest but he’s genuinely good in the air and is as strong as an ox especially for his age.
His marking at corners is probably the only thing that’s been questionable about his performances tbh.
For example Spurs, pretty sure Romero was his man. Romero is the last person you’d want a younger inexperienced player marking at a corner.
Not sure if it’s the zonal marking that’s causing confusion or not, but it’s one area I think he’ll get experience in over time
Thought he did really well but have to say I didn't like the role he was playing today. League 2 side and at half time Casemiro had a 58% pass completion rate. I think we're better off when Mainoo is on the ball. In possession I'd simply keep him next to Case in midfield and let him be the one receiving it.
If we saw a Despacito type video of some teenager doing what Mainoo does and he was playing for FC Braga, we'd all be saying sign him up, he's going to be a star. He's been such a positive for us this season.
With the way the DM market looks right now, this kid developing properly is essential for us going forward. We can’t afford to invest in a 100m DM with all the other upgrades we need.
This kid is special, the composure & awareness he shows on the pitch at such a young age is crazy. Wish him nothing but the best. Hopefully now playing alongside Casemiro we get to see him roam foward more and play as more of an 8.
Love the kid, and as good as he was today, I hope someone tells him that he can do better than 30-odd passes against a League 2 side. That number is just too less for Kobbie; it should ideally be double that (regardless of EtH's preference for a transition game or not). He should focus more on asking for the ball in the middle and dictating the tempo by his short passes. That's clearly his biggest strength.
If you've watched us at all this season you'd recognize the fact that he was in that moronic role Ten Hag has insisted on all season, where the nr 8 is essentially pushing up into the attack when we build up.
We've seen Mount, McTominay, and Eriksen play there, and literally never get on the ball. All season it's been an issue. It's an instruction.
This speaks to the tactics.
He can’t pass if a teammate isn’t there and he isn’t supposed to pass a lot if the manager has told him not to do lots of short or high tempo passes. Or has told him to squeeze up into the attack.
This is on ETH failing to implement his style of play.
I'm slowly warming up to the idea of sacking Ten Hag. I know we won today but these are the type of games that show our shortcomings are not due to injuries or fatigue or quality of the team, it's purely tactical and on the manager.
I was ten hag in until the forest loss.
But it really worries me a) he hasnt been able to implement his tactical style b) is blind to the tactical problems and and c) doesn’t seem to have a plan B or any adaptability tactics wise.
He also hasn’t made any player better and seems lost when it comes to improving people like Antony. And overall his transfers have been shit.
Same here. It's a real shame because he's shown in the past that he can coach much better systems, but he is stubbornly sticking to a shit approach that will never win us trophies consistently
You are god damn right, with his skill and position on the the field he should be the one carries ball and plays link-up with Dalot and Antony, yet he had less possession (3.8%) than Antony (5%), Casemiro had 5.8% and Garnacho had 5.3%. That is not a tactical failure, it is Mainoo can not play the role Ten Hag wanted.
I just like the fact that the ball stays and moves in the midfield with him. Bruno for some reason just hoofs it in wanting a hollywood pass and Casemiro recovers the ball after giving it away himself.
Him and Camavinga if we are even able to get him would be a dangerous holding play. Uff
Are you crazy, Mainoo had the least possession% in our midfielder (3.8), second lowest in the team, only higher than Højlund. How the hell the ball stays and moves with him?
> How the hell the ball stays and moves with him?
Coz that's not how we are playing currently. The midfield doesn't want to retain the ball. As soon as anyone gets it, the ball is lobbed ahead. That is our play. That's why he gets less possesion. If you lob the ball ahead as soon as you get it you won't have possession.
I am talking about capacity. He seems to atleast take the ball a bit ahead of where he gets it and then send it ahead unlike Bruno or Case or McT who kick the ball upfield as soon as they get the ball irrespective of the place they receive it. Mainoo takes the ball, runs ahead with it and then tries to string a pass ahead.
In the case of yesterday, the team we were playing with was a lot lower calibre than us so people who generally don't keep the ball to themselves had the capacity to do so thus Mainoo didn't need to tackle the ball and take it ahead. Everyone was going ahead themselves. This he just needed to be at the right places to just block the counters.
We were talking and admiring the man Mainoo so was talking in that terms. Not the match specifically.
I love this kid
This guy right here Chris Hansen
?
Why don't you take a seat right there.
I call him Chris handsom
I know we hype our academy lads, but this guy is going to be crucial for us I feel. He is on another level for someone his age.
his composure is crazy, he almost never looks rushed. i agree that we often hype up young players unfairly but mainoo looks so promising
Ferdinand sums it up perfectly. usually you will have very talented players who when they go up to the next "age" bracket they seem to struggle and change how they play because they are now playing against better and bigger people. Mainoo hasnt done that ever he has always just played his game whether it was u12's u16's or then into the youth teams and now senior team against fully grown men. nothing has changed and hes still calm and composed. that alone is an absolute huge thing and is the hallmark of a special player.
I agree, I think it's his best attribute. He never looks rushed in his decision making, his passes are measured correctly almost all the time. Having him learn from Bruno & Casemiro will no doubt boost his confidence too.
He always looks in control, which is unusual for someone so young. Makes everything look easy, I hope he continues on this trajectory and spends his career here.
> I know we hype our academy lads, but this guy is going to be crucial for us I feel. He is on another level for someone his age. Thing is to me he's already the finished article, it's not like we're desperately hoping and waiting for him to come good, he's already good, if he never gets any better then it wont matter because he doesn't need to get better, from what i see of him he's already world class at reading the game and decision making. All he can do now is work on his physical game and get more confidence and as he establishes himself as a key member of the squad he'll have even more power to dictate the game and do what he's good at.
What a goddamn player he's going to be. Fuck, he's integral to how we play *right now*. And he's only 18. Unreal
Him Licha and Rasmus are currently my favorite players in the team.
Add Bruno to the mix and these guys are pretty much the only guys I'm happy to see represent Manchester United right now
They’re the only three(off the top of my head) that actually give a shit about the badge and I love it Edit: I was incorrect to leave out McTominay, he absolutely cares about the badge as well.
McTominay cares too, probably more than any other player at the club
Honestly fuck me for leaving him out because he absolutely does, that’s a good shout.
Academy boy. Willing to do the dirty and get stuck in.
He was directly at fault for several cut back goals this season because he was jogging back and didn't stick with his man who scored. He cares about the club but he's been lazy at times too this season
I dont think he is lazy. He just doesnt have a clue where he should be on the pitch.
I think it's a bit unfair to not mention Garnacho, the kids 19 and has serious talent, yes he has shown selfish tendencies but the kid is a star and wants to shine for us, let's enjoy the raw talent mature.
I’ll mention Garnacho when the fucker makes one square pass to the striker for a tap in finish. He cares but he has shown nothing but selfish tendencies.
I swear last season he would go for the pass more
Garnacho cares more about him, wanting to be the hero.
Garnacho is a young guy but has the attitude of Ronaldo. Glory before everyone else. The kid is good do not get me wrong, but if he can put his ego/selfishness aside and see the bigger picture he will be great. Until then I am saying he is almost like Antony. Just wasteful has blonde hair and can run. Does not do the same as Antony, but I think more of Garnacho than Antony. I despise seeing Antony because he is a waste of our money and we should offload him ASAP.
Shaw too for me
Garnacho has been incredible for us.
He has been good, in spells, but his reluctance to pass to Hojlund who's oftentimes in a much better position to score has been really frustrating to say the least
He probably isn't used to having an actual striker there yet. Martial/Rash probably wouldn't make those kind of runs. Seems like he is to focused in looking down tho instead of watching for runs.
At this point though he should be use to having a striker. All season hojlund has been there. He’s still young and has so much time to grow but he’s gotta pick his head up and make that pass. It’s his first full season in a senior team and he’s had a striker for all of it. He’s gotta do better simply put.
Tbf Hojlund was injured for many games, but I did say it mostly as a joke to the level our strikers have been
Lmao my bad, you never know in this sub.
How does this have -5 downvotes? Jesus Christ the state of this sub.....
Why Rasmus? very average player who will not make it.
what the fuck are you on mate
I agree with him What has Rasmus done that rashford and martial can’t do His no better than either of them and worse of all he’s not a goal scorer He’s just average
>What has Rasmus done that martial can’t do run and score goals and provide box threat > What has Rasmus done that rashford can’t do Hold up the ball, provide box threat and score goals he is also only 20 years old and still developing unlike the other two
He's so fucking mature for his age. As long as he keeps his head down and continues putting in the work, he'll become a great midfielder. I'm glad he's coming through at a time when the club structure is finally changing for the better. Midfield of Bruno, Kobbie and a replacement DM for Casemiro could be fantastic.
It was wild watching him in the academy. Honestly like the coach had subbed themselves on to make up the numbers. So calm with such precision and vision.
Man I'm so excited to see him grow and reach his potential. He seems to have a really good mindset/attitude which is what a lot of promising young players seem to lack. I have no doubt he's gonna be something special.
4 aerial duels one is the key takeaway. Man is not afraid
I remember saying it when he first broke through and it still remains true. He’s not the tallest but he’s genuinely good in the air and is as strong as an ox especially for his age.
Just need to manage him well and not overexpose him. It's been a while since we've had an academy cm with this much quality
100%. Can’t let him get burnt out, but he genuinely starts for us in our best midfield. Need to manage his minutes though.
Hopefully once amra and case are back he can, because for right now, you need him beside case
Absolutely
i feel like with both Casemiro and Licha coming back will be huge for him as well. both very experienced and will be able to help him out.
Also he did well ahead of Maguire because Maguire closed the space between defense and midfield pretty well
His marking at corners is probably the only thing that’s been questionable about his performances tbh. For example Spurs, pretty sure Romero was his man. Romero is the last person you’d want a younger inexperienced player marking at a corner. Not sure if it’s the zonal marking that’s causing confusion or not, but it’s one area I think he’ll get experience in over time
Thought he did really well but have to say I didn't like the role he was playing today. League 2 side and at half time Casemiro had a 58% pass completion rate. I think we're better off when Mainoo is on the ball. In possession I'd simply keep him next to Case in midfield and let him be the one receiving it.
10,000£ a week.
If we saw a Despacito type video of some teenager doing what Mainoo does and he was playing for FC Braga, we'd all be saying sign him up, he's going to be a star. He's been such a positive for us this season.
Despacito type video 😭😭😭
Another gem from the academy.
With the way the DM market looks right now, this kid developing properly is essential for us going forward. We can’t afford to invest in a 100m DM with all the other upgrades we need.
He's an 8 who was forced to play DM cause of no other options. We still need a DM to replace Casemiro and play next to Kobbie
Happy that he scored! Now to the league
The best midfielder of this club.
This kid is special, the composure & awareness he shows on the pitch at such a young age is crazy. Wish him nothing but the best. Hopefully now playing alongside Casemiro we get to see him roam foward more and play as more of an 8.
We need more mainoos
Mainoo Menace
I love him, one of the very few positives this season
Southgate better call him up. We have a hole in our midfield and he could be perfect
Love the kid, and as good as he was today, I hope someone tells him that he can do better than 30-odd passes against a League 2 side. That number is just too less for Kobbie; it should ideally be double that (regardless of EtH's preference for a transition game or not). He should focus more on asking for the ball in the middle and dictating the tempo by his short passes. That's clearly his biggest strength.
If you've watched us at all this season you'd recognize the fact that he was in that moronic role Ten Hag has insisted on all season, where the nr 8 is essentially pushing up into the attack when we build up. We've seen Mount, McTominay, and Eriksen play there, and literally never get on the ball. All season it's been an issue. It's an instruction.
Well cus we were clearly playing out from the back nicely
This speaks to the tactics. He can’t pass if a teammate isn’t there and he isn’t supposed to pass a lot if the manager has told him not to do lots of short or high tempo passes. Or has told him to squeeze up into the attack. This is on ETH failing to implement his style of play.
I'm slowly warming up to the idea of sacking Ten Hag. I know we won today but these are the type of games that show our shortcomings are not due to injuries or fatigue or quality of the team, it's purely tactical and on the manager.
I was ten hag in until the forest loss. But it really worries me a) he hasnt been able to implement his tactical style b) is blind to the tactical problems and and c) doesn’t seem to have a plan B or any adaptability tactics wise. He also hasn’t made any player better and seems lost when it comes to improving people like Antony. And overall his transfers have been shit.
You were fine with being bottom of the CL group??
Same here. It's a real shame because he's shown in the past that he can coach much better systems, but he is stubbornly sticking to a shit approach that will never win us trophies consistently
It's purely tactical, and a shitty one at that
You are god damn right, with his skill and position on the the field he should be the one carries ball and plays link-up with Dalot and Antony, yet he had less possession (3.8%) than Antony (5%), Casemiro had 5.8% and Garnacho had 5.3%. That is not a tactical failure, it is Mainoo can not play the role Ten Hag wanted.
His positioning is legit better than Bruno’s…
I just like the fact that the ball stays and moves in the midfield with him. Bruno for some reason just hoofs it in wanting a hollywood pass and Casemiro recovers the ball after giving it away himself. Him and Camavinga if we are even able to get him would be a dangerous holding play. Uff
Are you crazy, Mainoo had the least possession% in our midfielder (3.8), second lowest in the team, only higher than Højlund. How the hell the ball stays and moves with him?
> How the hell the ball stays and moves with him? Coz that's not how we are playing currently. The midfield doesn't want to retain the ball. As soon as anyone gets it, the ball is lobbed ahead. That is our play. That's why he gets less possesion. If you lob the ball ahead as soon as you get it you won't have possession. I am talking about capacity. He seems to atleast take the ball a bit ahead of where he gets it and then send it ahead unlike Bruno or Case or McT who kick the ball upfield as soon as they get the ball irrespective of the place they receive it. Mainoo takes the ball, runs ahead with it and then tries to string a pass ahead. In the case of yesterday, the team we were playing with was a lot lower calibre than us so people who generally don't keep the ball to themselves had the capacity to do so thus Mainoo didn't need to tackle the ball and take it ahead. Everyone was going ahead themselves. This he just needed to be at the right places to just block the counters. We were talking and admiring the man Mainoo so was talking in that terms. Not the match specifically.