[Gomes]

Changing the system changes nothing. He has been awful the whole season.
Never mind the beginning of the season, it wasn't just ETH's crazy midfield avoidance and Casemiro's legs last year either.
He needs to do much-much better.

 

[hellhunter]

Changing the system changes nothing. He has been awful the whole season.
Never mind the beginning of the season, it wasn't just ETH's crazy midfield avoidance and Casemiro's legs last year either.
He needs to do much-much better.

Wasn't he injured at the start of the season?

 

[Gomes]

Wasn't he injured at the start of the season?

He was in October and November but not at the start of the season.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

Lovely footballer that will look better with better players around him.

Everyone would though, he has some serious flaws that he needs to sort out but I’m sceptical he can.

 

[Baxquux]

Really dislike seeing players who was good under previous management get stick for being poor under new management who himself is an utter disaster. Mainoo has regressed under the current manager who’s football is best suited for shin kickers like Ugarte, Palhinha etc

Take this to the Sporting CP Forum and see how it goes down...

 

[DeludedOptimism]

Those urging to sell him must be crazy?! His stock is probably at a low because of a rusty season sprinkled with lack of fitness.

I agree, he needs to improve his performances as the game seemed to pass him by today. But he’s still young and needs to be allowed to work out his weak points.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

Those urging to sell him must be crazy?! His stock is probably at a low because of a rusty season sprinkled with lack of fitness.

I agree, he needs to improve his performances as the game seemed to pass him by today. But he’s still young and needs to be allowed to work out his weak points.

His lack of pace, athleticism and stamina is a huge problem though and can’t be ignored. He has to be played as 10 only, he can’t play as a CM as he can’t cover the ground needed at all, he’s one of the slowest players in the squad. It puts the other CM under to much pressure and means they get pulled all over the place trying to compensate.

He should concentrate on improving in the 10 position on pre season and be used in rotation with Bruno, Mount and whoever else (Cunha hopefully) we bring in.

 

[Ghirahim]

Those urging to sell him must be crazy?! His stock is probably at a low because of a rusty season sprinkled with lack of fitness.

I agree, he needs to improve his performances as the game seemed to pass him by today. But he’s still young and needs to be allowed to work out his weak points.

United will sell him. Inter are reportedly interested in him.

 

[Cassidy]

Poor season from him and he was poor under ETH also. Lets hope he bounces back

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

United will sell him. Inter are reportedly interested in him.

I wouldn’t be against selling him but Inter aren’t going to pay near enough.

 

[Hammondo]

I wouldn’t be against selling him but Inter aren’t going to pay near enough.

How much you thinking?

 

[Big Ron’s Coat]

Yes let’s sell another talented youth product before he is given a proper chance.

Sigh.

 

[Godfather]

Great Moment vs Lyon but overall a very poor season from him.

Needs to work on his athleticism. Hard.

 

[Ollie Derbyshire]

How much you thinking?

Well, as people keep saying in other player threads, outside of the PL there is only really Madrid, Bayern and PSG who do or could spend big money on a player. I think between, 50-60M would be amazing but I honestly don’t think we’d get that much.

We should be looking to train him as a solid 10 and let him improve from there before selling him though.

 

[Hammondo]

Well, as people keep saying in other player threads, outside of the PL there is only really Madrid, Bayern and PSG who do or could spend big money on a player. I think between, 50-60M would be amazing but I honestly don’t think we’d get that much.

We should be looking to train him as a solid 10 and let him improve from there before selling him though.

I honestly don't mind if we keep or sell him, but at the moment probably be around 40m. I am not sure who would be interested though.

 

[KjaAnd]

Regardless of what position he’s going to play, he has got to improve his pace, stamina and passing massively.

 

[RuudTom83]

He is far more of a moments-player than I first thought.

His overall game has a lot missing for him to be a the starting focal point in a midfield 2.

Lots of development needed...which I'm not as certain as I once was that he will get there...Still love him but it's just not as clear as it once was where he fits in.

 

[JBG]

Regardless of what position he’s going to play he has got to improve his pace, stamina and passing massively.

So almost every aspect of his game?

He is far more of a moments-player than I first thought.

His overall game has a lot missing for him to be a the starting focal point in a midfield 2.

Lots of development needed...which I'm not a certain as I once was that he will get there...Still love him but it's just not as clear as it once was where he fits in.

It sure seems like it, Im not giving up on him. But atm he dosent seem to fit as a starter anywhere.

 

[Banana Republic]

Kobbie is a talented lad; calm and collected when under pressure with the ball, has an eye for a pass and can score goals, but as already said, he’s far too slow.
That lack of pace and athleticism looks to be locked in to his physical makeup, so it’s hard to see him making a big enough improvement there.
He’s certainly a liability in a 2 man CM.
Hopefully Amorim will stick to using and developing Kobbie more in a no.10 role, before any decision to sell is made.

It’s a shame, but we’ve seen a good few, really talented prospects break through in the past, who ultimately were not suited to the pace, physicality and rigours of the PL.
Angel Gomes and Adnan Januzaj immediately spring to mind.

.

 

[McLvnsMuse]

Not press resistant enough for how slow he is.

Basically, he neither need to force the game to move at his pace (through skill and a better understanding of his role) or he need to rise to the pace of the game (training and physical development)

 

[McLvnsMuse]

I also don’t understand the calls for him at 10. He faces the exact same issues.

What’s a comparable (successful) 10 that plays like Kobbie with his current limitations?

 

[r0663664]

Mainoo won't be starting for United if he continues to play like this. Amorim will be under pressure next season to deliver results and he can afford a passenger in the squad. If Mainoo can't control the midfield, he won't be starting. He will start if there are injuries or coming on as a sub when legs are tire. I don't see a bright future for Mainoo at United unless he spend off season working on physicality (mean he needs to build more muscle). He would be sold in 2-3 years time if he doesn't improve.

 

[Gandalf]

He just seems made for Serie A.

 

[pocco]

He seems like he’s filled out a bit this season and his movement seems far less fluid at the same time, could be linked. May just be a case of growing into his frame a bit, but there’s no getting away from the lack of athleticism he has. At his age he should be fine in this aspect, so the fact he’s not tells me he’s probably never going to be either. I can’t recall ever seeing a player suddenly develop speed, agility or a good engine.

 

[Irrational.]

If we sell him, we will definitely regret it, in the same way we did when we sold Elanga and bought Antony; or selling McTominay.

A young player with a passion for the club with a unique skill set - not an easy combination to come by.

 

[RuudTom83]

The calls to play him in the 10 position don’t hide his current deficiencies…So that’s not the solution.

He could only play the 10 role in a team that dominates possession and pins the opposition back. Then his skills in tight places could be used to unlock teams.

For now he will just have to be a sub. Which isn’t going to help his contract negotiations.

 

[Ekeke]

He just seems made for Serie A.

In what way?

 

[Harv]

Back to selling him this week are we
He's what, 20? The team and manager have all been dreadful this season. Give him time.

I remember half the experts on the caf thought Amad would never make it also

 

[Martial'sEmergingSmile]

My issue with him, beyond the lack of athleticism, is that he's just a really unambitious passer.

At half-time today he'd attempted 2 forward passes. Not sure what he finished with.

It's not just this season either. Last year he was right down in the 15th percentile for progressive passes. For England, playing in a team that reached the Euros final and dominated the ball in every single game, he was in the 29th percentile.

Just isn't at all forward thinking. And in more advanced positions he doesn't have an ounce of invention or creativity in his passing.

 

[Gandalf]

In what way?

Slower pace, very little pressing in most games and he has the quality to tear teams apart when given time on the ball.

 

[Tallis]

Thought he was really poor against Brentford. I was trying to recall last season and surely he was much much better than this. There is something off about him - some injury which is restricting him.

 

[sleepehead]

Thought he was really poor against Brentford. I was trying to recall last season and surely he was much much better than this. There is something off about him - some injury which is restricting him.

I actually think he's too bulked up. I think he tried to get stronger and he may have gone a little to much. I think it's made him a little slower and a little less flexible. Look at his recent pic on IG and then look at what he looked like in the FA cup and he looks like he added too much muscle too fast so he hasn't been as quick. He probably got stronger to shield the ball better but it's made him a little more sluggish

 

[Bright_Eyes]

If we sell him, we will definitely regret it, in the same way we did when we sold Elanga and bought Antony; or selling McTominay.

So like, we won't regret it then? Antony was a mistake (ironically he's doing well on loan though, should we bring him back?) but we were complaining about McTominay on here for years, and Elanga wasn't so impressive here either. Players have to do it here, not somewhere else. Mainoo will have to do it here too, and if he doesn't, gets sold and does well somewhere else, there will be no regrets.

 

[klayton88]

There is something off about him - some injury which is restricting him.

Ah, the old Rashford excuse. Could it simply be he just isn't as good as we thought and the more we've seen of him we can see the massive flaws in his game?

 

[devilish]

Ah, the old Rashford excuse. Could it simply be he just isn't as good as we thought and the more we've seen of him we can see the massive flaws in his game?

I think we're doing the same mistake we did with Rashford ie we overhyped him, we have no development plan (at age we should at least know in which position he plays best) and we played him while he was injured. I hope he doesn't end up yet another one dimensional player on silly salaries who think he deserves to play for Barcelona while barely making it to Villa's level.

 

[Rainy nights in Stoke]

I don’t quite understand what’s changed for Kobbie. I found him to be genuinely excellent at times for England last summer, picking up great pockets of space and making things happen with smart movements and combinations with team mates. The criticism then was that he wasn’t consistently in the game enough. Since then it seems that has become worse, while all his positives have mostly evaporated. Hoping he can find his place in this system and learn how to better exploit his strengths.

 

[devilish]

I don’t quite understand what’s changed for Kobbie. I found him to be genuinely excellent at times for England last summer, picking up great pockets of space and making things happen with smart movements and combinations with team mates. The criticism then was that he wasn’t consistently in the game enough. Since then it seems that has become worse, while all his positives have mostly evaporated. Hoping he can find his place in this system and learn how to better exploit his strengt

I think he's excellent in a 3 men CM and might do the job as a no 10. However he lacks the physicality to play in a 2 men CM in an Amorim system. This constant switching of tactics needs to stop. Players who were taught from an early age to play in a certain way are now told to play a different way at a crucial time of their development. That isn't helping their development.

 

[Rainy nights in Stoke]

I think he's excellent in a 3 men CM and might do the job as a no 10. However he lacks the physicality to play in a 2 men CM in an Amorim system. This constant switching of tactics needs to stop. Players who were taught from an early age to play in a certain way are now told to play a different way at a crucial time of their development. That isn't helping their development.

You might be right about the 2 v. 3 midfield thing, but I’m not sure I understand why it should matter that much. We very often have one of the CBs step up into midfield both in build-up and in defensive transition. We might not be good enough at it in established play, but it shouldn’t be that different from playing in a 2 ahead of the DM. Besides, it’s his playmaking I’ve found to be suffering the most.

 

[ron86]

Such an enigma. He has so much talent however his physical short comings almost negate the talent.

 

[pelterz]

Take this to the Sporting CP Forum and see how it

I also don’t understand the calls for him at 10. He faces the exact same issues.

What’s a comparable (successful) 10 that plays like Kobbie with his current limitations?

It feels like uniteds youth set up(and first team)has been behind the 8 ball for a number of years the league is now all about pace and power and we don’t have any. It’s a shocking indictment of how the club has been run in the past. It’s going to affect a lot of our players over the next couple if seasons. We need to drop the sentimentality and look forward.