SPOTLIGHT
How an 18-year-old academy graduate became a vital cog in Manchester United’s midfield
Anyone keeping no more than a cursory eye on Manchester United’s tumultuous 2023-24 season could be forgiven for misunderstanding the hype surrounding the club’s latest academy-bred sensation, Kobbie Mainoo. The midfielder’s work is controlled, clean and precise. His demeanour is restrained and mature for an 18-year-old starring for his boyhood club. His calibre is clear if you look for it. But to those not watching carefully, Mainoo’s talents might not jump off the screen and command immediate attention in the way that other promising wunderkinds, past and present, have.
At least, that was the case until the 97th minute of United’s Premier League fixture away at Wolverhampton Wanderers in February. With a fleetfooted skip past two defenders and a beautifully curled finish from the edge of the box to seal a dramatic 4-3 victory for his side, Mainoo grabbed even the most casual viewer by the frontal lobe and etched a vivid portrait of his vast potential onto their cerebral cortex.
“A generational talent,” United striker Rasmus Hojlund enthused post-match of his teenage team-mate. “You can see his composure. He is so relaxed on the ball. So much quality on the ball. Now he’s also starting to show that he has the scoring parts of his game as well. He’s a complete player.”
Past United legends agree. Roy Keane said recently that Mainoo can go “right to the very top”. Gary Neville concurred, insisting that Mainoo is “a real star.” Rio Ferdinand gushed that Mainoo reminds him of Clarence Seedorf in “the way he can manoeuvre in tight situations and the way he manipulates the ball, uses his body at times and shifts it”.
Those paying the closest attention to the prospective first-team stars within the club’s storied youth system have seen Mainoo’s emergence coming for some time.
“When he was 11 or 12, we went to an indoor tournament in Warsaw, Poland, which we won, and he was outstanding,” remembers Tony Whelan, United’s academy programme advisor who’s coached the club’s youngsters for more than three decades. “We don’t normally win tournaments abroad. We see them as important for the development aspect. As he progressed through our academy in the younger age groups, he was always a high performer.
“Whether we won a tournament or not, he’d always be one of the most outstanding players in the group, if not the most outstanding player. Throughout his time here, his performances have always been at a high level.”
Hailing from nearby Stockport, Mainoo joined United’s academy aged nine and his advanced abilities were such that he regularly played in higher age groups throughout his journey at the Carrington
