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Kobbie Mainoo is the man of the moment. It is hard to believe that by the end of last season, he did not even have a full 90 minutes of senior football under his belt.
His first start for United came on 10th January last year against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup. He started that match in the number 10 position and played for an hour.
He then came on for 17 minutes as a sub in another cup victory, this time against Reading in the FA Cup. That was on 28th January 2023.
His third and final appearance last season was his Premier League debut, 10 minutes against Leicester City, again in an attacking midfield role. That was on 19th February.
All three matches were won by United.
Everyone was impressed with what they saw and fans licked their lips in anticipation of seeing him develop on United’s pre-season tour. Erik ten Hag was also clearly excited, starting Mainoo against none less than Real Madrid in Houston, pitching him against the likes of Bellingham, Modric, Tchouameni and Camavinga, on July 27th.
But a freak injury picked up after just two minutes of that game was to keep him out of action until 26th November, when he finally made his return in the 3-0 Premier League victory over Everton.
From that point on, it has been a fairy tale. From academy hopeful to likely England starter in Euro 24 in four months. It has been quite some rise. His debut came after just 20 senior games for United this season in addition to those three from last.
We all just “feel it” with Mainoo. What comes across so strongly is his groundedness, the old head on young shoulders. He may only be 18 and he may only have played that handful of games, but he plays with such composure and maturity and makes the game look effortless.
If you are an England supporter, the thought of the Three Lions playing Euro 24 with a midfield trio of Mainoo, Rice and Bellingham is a mouthwatering one. But as a United fan, I’m not sure it’s what I want to see.
If 2023/24 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to find ways to reduce the number and severity of injuries at United and a common accusation levelled at Ten Hag and his coaches is that players are being pushed too hard.
Without that pre-season, Mainoo had to hit the ground running in November and it has been relentless since. That will be taking its toll. The last thing he needs is to be playing through the summer in a hotly-contested international tournament. He may have an old head on young shoulders, but they are just 18 year old shoulders and 18 year old legs. His body is still growing and developing and needs to be cosseted and nurtured.
Watching him help England to a successful summer would, for sure, be a buzz, but I for one would rather be looking at Instagram photos of him messing around on a beach somewhere.
This season has in many ways been a write-off for United – to a large extent due to those aforementioned injuries. The good things that has come out of it is the nucleus of an incredibly gifted future United side, with Mainoo at the heart of it and the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund alongside him, possibly also Amad Diallo too.
If INEOS can buy well this summer and add similar young talents to the United squad, 24/25 could be the start of something very special. For that to happen, Mainoo needs to be fresh and champing at the bit for action, not battle-scarred and weary after dragging England through a gruelling European Championships.
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