It does look like it. Said it before that i'd like to see him play closer to the final third. He looks dangerous whenever he has the ball on that area.
37
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 32
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 4
Love how composed he is when faced with a goalscoring opportunity. I wouldn't be against seeing him further forward in a midfield 3 of Amrabat-Casemiro-Mainoo vs City, even if it means playing Bruno out of position.
Thought he was good again yesterday, his ability is undeniable. He’s going to be an incredible player one day. His eye for goal has been pretty good as well, is that 5 in all comps now? Not bad for a CM.
So cool in front of goal and on the ball in general.
So nice to see players like him and Amad play with such composure on the ball. Technically they are two very gifted footballers. Physically he still has time to grow and develop, but having such good technical skills at such a young age means that he already has the one of the key capabilities to grow into an exceptional player.
So nice to see players like him and Amad play with such composure on the ball. Technically they are two very gifted footballers. Physically he still has time to grow and develop, but having such good technical skills at such a young age means that he already has the one of the key capabilities to grow into an exceptional player.
When I come in this thread, I do hope to read of the imagining of this kid linking up with talents of his own ability across the pitch. We've seen him triangulate with whoever is willing, and it quickly becomes a fun and befuddling chain of passing and moving. Imagine if that was our default, and we had it across the pitch. Transformative and incredibly hard to contain.
I've spoken about the need to link him up with similarly able midfielders, but yesterday we also got a glimpse of what it looks like with an able wideman in Amad, as the two of them took the piss at times and put on a show whilst being effective and progressive. So imagine us having not just a midfield or a single wide player with this quality, but a midfield, flanks and even a forward all ready and willing to ping and move. Perhaps in a couple of years this could materialise, but we should be doing our utmost to make inroads on that from this summer onward.
Mainoo's talent is something you build and construct around, even if he is not to be the main man, he works as a bar set for others to meet in terms of proficiency on and off the ball - you want an army of these players, not one or two; a veritable, interchangeable deluge. Barca have this, and so do City, and we should be working towards it too.
I've spoken about the need to link him up with similarly able midfielders, but yesterday we also got a glimpse of what it looks like with an able wideman in Amad, as the two of them took the piss at times and put on a show whilst being effective and progressive. So imagine us having not just a midfield or a single wide player with this quality, but a midfield, flanks and even a forward all ready and willing to ping and move. Perhaps in a couple of years this could materialise, but we should be doing our utmost to make inroads on that from this summer onward.
Mainoo's talent is something you build and construct around, even if he is not to be the main man, he works as a bar set for others to meet in terms of proficiency on and off the ball - you want an army of these players, not one or two; a veritable, interchangeable deluge. Barca have this, and so do City, and we should be working towards it too.
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He was good yesterday. Maybe Amrabat helped.
I'd rest Mainoo and Garnacho this weekend, having the 3 kids fresh and a returning Martinez might give United a 4% chance of victory in the final instead of the 2% chance currently/
I'd rest Mainoo and Garnacho this weekend, having the 3 kids fresh and a returning Martinez might give United a 4% chance of victory in the final instead of the 2% chance currently/
Class last night!
He is so good, there was one instance where he controlled the ball with his chest, brought it down and did a quick turn as it was in congested space. It was like a Zidanesque move.
He is one of our most reliable player in possession since Scholes. He knows how to keep the possession no matter what. Now with addition of Amad we have 2 players who are very good in tight spaces.
He is one of our most reliable player in possession since Scholes. He knows how to keep the possession no matter what. Now with addition of Amad we have 2 players who are very good in tight spaces.
Imagine 4, 5 or 6
I was wondering that myself if we see that vs City.
Onana
Dalot - Evans - Martinez - AWB
Casemiro
Amrabat - Mainoo
Amad - Bruno - Garnacho
Dalot - Evans - Martinez - AWB
Casemiro
Amrabat - Mainoo
Amad - Bruno - Garnacho
Those are kind of niche qualities to focus on. His stats for most of the rest of the stuff you want from your CM are a lot less impressive.
Still though. Yong and lernin. And his quality is undeniable, no matter what the stats show.
Swap that round, I think Amrabat is better sitting as we know we can't seem to stop Casemiro going forward and I really hope we can get Shaw & Maguire back for Evans and AWB...
Yeah that was an absurd take down. His power when running with the ball is freakish for his age/size too.
I actually was thinking something similar, except changing it to
Dalot Evans (or maybe Varane if fit) Martinez AWB
Mainoo Amarabat
Amad Bruno
Garnacho Rashford
Keep Garnacho and Rashford high and wide for countering opportunities, Amad plays a bit more centrally combining with Mainoo and offering the technical class needed against a team like City, and Mainoo and Amrabat partner up and sit a bit deeper controlling/progressing play. Rashford on merit doesn't deserve to start, but he's traditionally a big 6 killer and the way the game will setup will cater to his one strength (diagonal runs on the counter). I wouldn't start Hojlund personally. We looked better yesterday because Amad offered a more technical outlet and with McTominay in the side we essentially played with 4 midfielders (almost 5 with amad drifting inwards).
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Wasn't his greatest game today. Drifted out of it a lot especially in the first half.
He was bullied off the ball too many times - priority for next season is to become a stronger physicial presence and also become more involved in the game. A midfielder for Manchester United cannot be invisible for large parts of the game.
Overall, though, he's been one of the few sparks of an atrocious season. Can't wait to see him develop into a top player
Overall, though, he's been one of the few sparks of an atrocious season. Can't wait to see him develop into a top player
Some nice little turns and shimmies out of tight places but his passing was well off. Which is a problem for someone that plays his position. Oh well. Yong and lernin.
He’s very obviously our best midfielder, not counting Bruno who I am putting in a separate category of attacking midfield. His lowest level is still higher than most of our other cms. And his highest level is miles above any of them. Will be the core of our team for a long time.
This season he has been overplayed, and that’s a huge concern for me.
This season he has been overplayed, and that’s a huge concern for me.
For a guy who is relatively slow, or lacks running power, he has surprisingly good acceleration with the ball when he turns away from challenge, quite often you see guys trying to pull his shirt because he has created separation. Could be just that he is really quick and agile on the turn and I am misreading it.
Hugely promising debut season, if I was critical I would suggest he has played in flashes this season rather than being a constant influence, but much of that is down to the insane midfield shape Ten Hag has been putting out and being 18. Hopefully getting fitter will push him on there as well, need him on the ball more than he is.
Hugely promising debut season, if I was critical I would suggest he has played in flashes this season rather than being a constant influence, but much of that is down to the insane midfield shape Ten Hag has been putting out and being 18. Hopefully getting fitter will push him on there as well, need him on the ball more than he is.
So how do you build a team around a player who's not supposed to play most games?
Who says he’s not supposed to play most games? You’ve just made that up. I just said he’s been overplayed. Meaning he shouldn’t have been playing every game. Which is normal at 18. And you build a team around him because he’s 18 and brilliant. Because building a team is more than a six month project. And rotation is normal. In fact desirable.
I’m really not sure if there was any thought that went into your post at all.
Looked very good in the last 2 games after a quieter period. So silky and composed. Will be going to Euros.
I would like to see him as the more advanced 8 next season. Feels like a tradeoff between his composure deep in midfield compared to his ability to progress the play. I think if United sign a defensive orientated 6, it should be in view with moving Kobbie further forward.
Overall I think he's had an excellent season playing in a kamikaze system that the manager is responsible for, he managed to adjust well and still had a noticeable impact despite his form beginning to dip the last few fixtures. Coincidentally that dip has coincided with the team being more pragmatic with the defensive shape out of possession, which for me is further evidence of him playing better spaces ahead breaking into siimilar areas as a 10.
Overall I think he's had an excellent season playing in a kamikaze system that the manager is responsible for, he managed to adjust well and still had a noticeable impact despite his form beginning to dip the last few fixtures. Coincidentally that dip has coincided with the team being more pragmatic with the defensive shape out of possession, which for me is further evidence of him playing better spaces ahead breaking into siimilar areas as a 10.
No, it’s half witted. He’s going to be more and more ready every year. Inside of two years he’s going to be physically ready for 50-60 games a season. In fact he’s ready to play that now, but it’d be stupid to do that when he’s still developing physically. Nonetheless, he can easily play 35-40+ games a season, and not jeopardise his long term fitness.
And it’s not about the total number of games that he’s played this season. It’s about the lack of rotation once he was back fit. He just played back to back to back. Again, not a fan of that,
When building a team, you look at how that team is going to perform not just next season, but in 2, 3, 4 years time. You don’t go out and buy an expensive number 8 in his prime right now, because you have an 18 year old Mainoo, who is only going to become more and more central to your whole midfield set up. What you do do, is plan around him being the central lynch pin of our midfield for potentially the next decade plus, and you buy a quality DM to play alongside him (someone 25 and under), and you buy another midfielder capable of rotating with him and your DM. Because you need a good squad to compete.
So yes, you absolutely do build around him. Especially when your rebuild is likely to take 2-3 years, as ours is expected to do. We aren’t likely to build a team to compete for the title next season. There’s too much to be done. But the year after, maybe, and the year after that, certainly we should be. At that point Mainoo has grown into the team, his role, his body etc.
So, in short….again…..yes you do build around Mainoo; and just in case you are still in any doubt….your first post was based on a claim that you had just made up, and your second post tried to salvage your pride by doubling down on spouting bollocks. Your third potential reply has me on the edge of my seat.
Your post quality was the forum equivalent of Djemba-Djemba, hence I quoted it twice,
For those who were actually comparing him to Fabregas, think again. He still has much to develop, apart from some very good technical and mental foundations. Cesc at 17/18 was a top class playmaker/ creative attacker making a difference already in many games. I am not sure if we have seen Mainoo dominate a game from start to finish yet, which of course we shouldn't be expecting from an 18 year old playing one of the most difficult positions. We need to buy at least 2 CMs and not put him on a pedestal
For the posters who are big fans of Mainoo; can you explain exactly what it is that makes you think he is (or has the potential to be) a really special player?
I can’t see it, I really can’t. I think I was more impressed by a young Tom Cleverly than I have been of Mainoo. However this is a dig at myself, not at him. Enough people, including ten Hag, Southgate, multiple pundits and the clear majority of posters, rate him so highly that I can only accept that it is me missing something he has, rather than him not ‘having’ it. You don’t get picked to start for England at 18 in a tournament year unless you are being seriously considered as an international quality player already (or at the very least one in the making).
So, 2 questions.
1) Which current senior player (at any club) should he be aiming to get to the level of? He doesn’t have to be there now, I’m thinking.
2) Which former (or current) Man Utd player would you say most closely matches his skill set?
I’m at a bit of a loss, but as I say, I’m happy to infer that the problem is me, not him.
I can’t see it, I really can’t. I think I was more impressed by a young Tom Cleverly than I have been of Mainoo. However this is a dig at myself, not at him. Enough people, including ten Hag, Southgate, multiple pundits and the clear majority of posters, rate him so highly that I can only accept that it is me missing something he has, rather than him not ‘having’ it. You don’t get picked to start for England at 18 in a tournament year unless you are being seriously considered as an international quality player already (or at the very least one in the making).
So, 2 questions.
1) Which current senior player (at any club) should he be aiming to get to the level of? He doesn’t have to be there now, I’m thinking.
2) Which former (or current) Man Utd player would you say most closely matches his skill set?
I’m at a bit of a loss, but as I say, I’m happy to infer that the problem is me, not him.
I feel these are things that are really easy to see - it's his composure, and the fact that he has the rare ability to make these passes that rarely lead to turnovers from the receiving player. It's how highly press-resistant he is. It's his precision in front of goal when presented with opportunities. It's the fact that he does everything at least to a 7/10 level. These are rare qualities for a midfielder and the one he really reminds me of is Carrick. They're not an exact match but they bring the same calm reliability that makes other parts of the team tick.
He's very press resistant and a good dribbler. Calm on the ball and plays like a much more experienced player. The game cam pass him by a little on occasion and he's not the most physically gifted of midfielders, but he's the kind of footballer that someone like pep would love.
Thanks man- I do get what you mean about press resistance. It’s a difficult trait to quantify and maybe that’s what I’m missing. There are some players (Carrick was one and Iniesta probably another) whose raw numbers never looked that great, but who were absolutely integral to the way their sides played. For me that’s the most difficult attribute to notice. Ta!
I think stylistically, at his best, he is similar to Modric and should try to emulate how Modric always tries to penetrate with his ball carrying ability. He should be looking to play forward passes more often too.
His short passing around corners with the outside of the boot remind me of Scholes. He has the ability to emulate Scholes in his short passing game but definitely doesn’t have the long range passing ability that Scholes had, very few do really. But I do think he could try the big switches more.
Out of possession I find he looks sluggish.
He is very composed and skillful in tight spaces but could get involved more, although I think ten Hags tactics don’t help.
Lots to improve on, so I hope he does. Only 18 we must remember.
Yep, true. He certainly doesn’t play like an 18 year old!
Do you think he’ll effectively be your first choice CM next season, even without any injuries? EtH definitely seems to to trust him, and he’s arguably first choice even now, so maybe that’s a dumb question.
I think you can get away with being 18 if you are a Stevie G type all-action midfielder. It’s about physique, competitive instinct, and covering every blade of grass. But if your style of play is more nuanced then it can be tough, but sounds like he’s doing a pretty good job of it so far.
I would assume so, if we stay as we are. Ideally he'd be sharing minutes much more than he has been and I'd hope that we'll bring someone in to take the pressure off him.
Does Henderson missing the England squad make Mainoo more likely to start?
What a great talent.
One of the very few positives from this terrible season.
One of the very few positives from this terrible season.
I hope Mainoo will perform better playing alongside Bellingham and Rice, but tbh even though being his fan, he hasn't been impressive since the previous England call. Then again, almost everyone under-performs playing for Ten Hag.
This is a great website, thanks for the pointer! This Garnacho v Olise v Saka thing is quite interesting to me:
I think Jack Wilshere is the closest stylistically to him that I've ever seen