Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has sent the club a crucial warning regarding Kobbie Mainoo, even as the young midfielder’s meteoric rise continues.
During a troublesome and extremely disappointing 2023/24 season, Mainoo was one of the very few positives for the team.
His emergence into the team was a beacon of hope for the team and supporters alike as he impressed with his extremely calm and composed displays in the middle of the park.
In next to no time, Mainoo broke into Erik ten Hag’s plans and cemented his status as one of the undisputed starters.
The teenager made 32 appearances across all competitions and in that time, managed five goals and one assist. He found the back of the net in the FA Cup final against Manchester City to help United win the trophy.
Mainoo was named in England’s final 26-man squad ahead of Euro 2024 and according to Gareth Southgate himself, there will be no hesitation whatsoever to start the Carrington academy graduate in the tournament.
Amidst all this, Jones has warned United that they need to manage Mainoo correctly to ensure he fully realizes his great potential.
Jones spoke to Ladbrokes and said, “I just hope he’s managed properly. Managing a player like him, at his age, is so important.”
“I know I played a lot when I was younger, and whether or not that had an impact on the later stages of my career, I don’t know, but hopefully, he’s managed well in terms of his training load and game time.”
“There’ll be moments where you’re just going to have to take him out of the team, not because of his performances, but because you need to look after him and wrap him in cotton wool.”
Jones explained that Real Madrid are the only other team in world football who are as intensely scrutinized as United and this is something that needs to be taken into account in order to protect Mainoo.
“Wearing that United shirt comes with a huge amount of pressure. There’s a huge reward, by the way, but there’s a huge amount of pressure.”
“There aren’t many teams I can think of who face that level of pressure. Maybe Real Madrid are in the same position? But I always say that by playing for Manchester United, you’re playing for the biggest club in the world. Everything is magnified; everyone wants to get a story out of the club, and as a player, you’ve got to embrace that.”
Jones certainly knows one or two things about playing for United as a young prospect with plenty of expectation on one’s shoulders.
He arrived at United as a teenager after Sir Alex Ferguson splashed £17million to secure his services from Blackburn Rovers.
Jones enjoyed a decent career at Old Trafford but his latter years were mostly spent on the sidelines recovering from injuries.
