Rio Ferdinand showered 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo with admiration after his stoppage-time goal on Thursday night lifted Manchester United to a 4-3 victory away at Wolves.
Before Mainoo’s late finish, the visitors appeared to be in control of the game at Molineux, but they were pushed back in extra time.
After the match, Ferdinand expressed his admiration for Mainoo’s performance, citing the youthful defensive midfielder’s eight consecutive starts in a Manchester United shirt.
Ferdinand, who compared Mainoo to a football legend, told TNT Sports that Mainoo deserves all the praise he is receiving.
‘I’m not saying he’s of the same ability and he’s that player yet, but you give me the signs, this gives me the vibes of Clarence Seedorf,’ Ferdinand said.
‘The way you can manoeuvre in tight situations, and the way he manipulates his ball, uses his body at times, but then shifts it and just just pops it through the legs of [Max] Kilman there. Beautiful.
‘Elusive at times as well. Just the control and the awareness to be able to pick his spot there. Some players see the headlights there, and the back pages, and think “I’m just gonna go for it”. He just caressed it.’
Fellow pundit Joleon Lescott joined Ferdinand and appreciated how Mainoo managed to score the winner against Wolves.
‘He’s consistently composed all the way through that’, Lescott said, ‘and you might not see it now, but what’s important in that in that action is the starting position.
‘I think he was just behind the ball. So when it breaks down, he’s in the perfect position to start the attack again.’
Man United return to action on Sunday afternoon as they play host to West Ham. Seven days later, they travel to Aston Villa.
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