Christ what a list
37
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 34
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 7
-
Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) discuss United's fantastic win away against Athletic Club in the semi-final of the Europa League.
They also pick out the positives of United's 4-3 loss away at Brentford, and Nik reviews a day out at Old Trafford watching Manchester United Women qualify for the Champions League.
Well yes quite a few are calling for us to sell. Saying he doesn’t have the engine or talent to play for us.
This guy.Christ what a list
The username is pure banter surely. Almost suggests it’s a wind up ?Would you say City suffer from the same issue? Palmer, Rogers and Delap are now all shining after leaving. Is it fair to trace this back to a lack of intensity in their youth setup?
What's wrong with your neck?
I may be completely wrong but my gut feel is chaos ball helped portray his best attributes while we couldn't quite see his shortcomings because, well... chaos ball. You couldn't expect much by way of positioning and tactical discipline.
CM is not an easy job, let alone as a pair. Arguably one of the hardest ones to master fully. What we are seeing is a very talented kid not being ready for that. I reckon we need to give him more game time further up the pitch and transition him into midfield over time.
CM is not an easy job, let alone as a pair. Arguably one of the hardest ones to master fully. What we are seeing is a very talented kid not being ready for that. I reckon we need to give him more game time further up the pitch and transition him into midfield over time.
I remember when he was being compared to Seedorf; shows how carried away we can get with youth.
Think the quality and mentality is there; he would excel with better players and runners around him but that looks unlikely to here for the foreseeable.
Think the quality and mentality is there; he would excel with better players and runners around him but that looks unlikely to here for the foreseeable.
16 months ago, he was a 'generational talent' on the Caf.
Today, 'let's sell him on'!!
Good thing that none of us here are United scouts. Otherwise, we would be getting an entire squad of Antonys.
Today, 'let's sell him on'!!
Good thing that none of us here are United scouts. Otherwise, we would be getting an entire squad of Antonys.
Is that a threat? Are you seriously threatening someone on the internet because you said United should sell Mainoo, and someone has highlighted what a retarded opinion that is? BIG MAN!!
He literally fits in two positions for now. I cited numerous examples of players who adept to CM later into their 20s (but you didn't want a "history lesson"). Paul Scholes had asthma btw, how's that for a history lesson.
I never said he would be the next Modric. That's you twisting the argument because you've been caught with your pants around your ankles, big man. You said Mainoo could never play in a midfield 2 (despite us winning a cup final with him playing in a midfield 2). In response I listed several midfielders who were not even operating in midfield until several years later.
Shall we talk about our track record with big money signings before deciding we could sign several better players with the money from selling Mainoo (not to mention the wages that would come with paying, ya know, more than one person who is on a relatively low wage atm). Dream land. A fantasy. Like your hard man act.
Last edited:
He’s talking about their respective talent and profile coming from the academy, but yeah I wouldn’t want to run into them 3 in a dark alleyChrist what a list
Is that a threat? Are you seriously threatening someone on the internet because you said United should sell Mainoo, and someone has highlighted what a retarded opinion that is? BIG MAN!!
He literally fits in two positions for now. I cited numerous examples of players who adept to CM later into their 20s (but you didn't want a "history lesson"). Paul Scholes had asthma btw, how's that for a history lesson.
I never said he would be the next Modric. That's you twisting the argument because you've been caught with your pants around your ankles, big man. You said Mainoo could never play in a midfield 2 (despite us winning a cup final with him playing in a midfield 2). In response I listed several midfielders who were not even operating in midfield until several years later.
Shall we talk about our track record with big money signings before deciding we could sign several better players with the money from selling Mainoo (not to mention the wages that would come with paying, ya know, more than one person who is on a relatively low wage atm). Dream land. A fantasy. Like your hard man act.
No one’s trying to be a hard man. Don’t be telling people to fecking this and that then curl up after. There was no need for your original response. It’s just an internet debate.
I did clarify and say an Amorim midfield two and he clearly doesn’t. You’re also assuming he has the intelligence to play like Paul Scholes, who also never lacked mobility. He was a box crasher for years in a midfield two.
Under a different manager maybe we see a different Mainoo. But currently he’s a square peg in a round whole and I don’t see the issue in selling him to buy players more suitable.
16 months ago, he was a 'generational talent' on the Caf.
Today, 'let's sell him on'!!
Good thing that none of us here are United scouts. Otherwise, we would be getting an entire squad of Antonys.
Good choice. So why does he look like such a world beater playing for Betis?
This guy.
100%
With youth players you almost have to take each season as their first because progress is rarely linear. He's a talented youngster who probably still isn't quite ready for the first team but given his age that is what you'd expect.
We should keep him and just let him develop without any great expectations for now. He'll improve his passing and his physicality.
We should keep him and just let him develop without any great expectations for now. He'll improve his passing and his physicality.
I'm biased.
Less pressure, lower physical requirements IE less strength, speed and slower tempo.
The way you conduct yourself is pathetic. You literally made a threat because I told you to wind your neck in (in response to your smarmy comments). You really, really do need to wind your neck in. Feel free to threaten me again if it makes you feel better.
Re: Mainoo. He's just turned 20 ffs. A new system that was implemented mid-season, then he's been injured, and then switched between CM and #10, and often played in midfield alongside an aging Casemiro (who performs better alongside a runner like Ugarte), Bruno (very attack minded) or Eriksen (attack minded and lost his legs years ago). It's laughably early to be making definitive assessments on his potential in that role. How much has he even played in CM alongside Ugarte in this system? A handful of games?
No point going round and round in circles anyway so I'll leave it there. Although I reserve the right to post a volley of laughing emojis if you would like to threaten me again. P.S. wind your neck in, sweetheart.
Mainoo has just played too much football with England in the summer and nearly every game he was fit under Ten Hag after coming back from a long layoff.
Plus he is young and will naturally have dips in form
Let’s see how he plays next season after the summer break, he hasn’t been better or worse than any of the other players, majority of them have been hanging this season
Plus he is young and will naturally have dips in form
Let’s see how he plays next season after the summer break, he hasn’t been better or worse than any of the other players, majority of them have been hanging this season
As an outsider, this really jumps out as the obvious issue.
Mainoo broke through at both club and international level with Managers who, for some unknown reason, decided against fielding functional midfields.
- Southgate took a squad also containing Rice, Bellingham, Foden, Gallagher, Palmer and Wharton... and began with Foden at LW and Alexander-Arnold at CM.
- ETH decided to dispense with the idea of his players occupying the centre of the pitch altogether (apart from the FA Cup final - a setup mysteriously not used before or since)
He's got lovely technique in tight spaces. However, there's not actually a great deal of evidence that he has the athleticism, positional awareness and passing ability required of a top level CM.
Last edited:
I think you both need to calm down a little bit and respect that everyone has an opinion. You believe yours is right, he believes his is right. Isnt that the point of a forum. Otherwise every reply would just be
yes
yes
yes
yes
And that would be boring. You have both come across as being antagonistic here.
For what its worth, i love Mainoo, i think he has some very very good attributes and some glaring faults also. In regards to selling him, i am completely on the fence. Would we miss him?!?! Probably not much, its more that we might miss the player he COULD become. I'm yet to see him dominate a midfield battle and in almost 2 seasons, i would expect to see that at least once.
When I watch Eze at Crystal Palace, I see no reason why Kobbie Mainoo couldn’t evolve into a similar kind of player if he's integrated properly into the system. Like Eze, Mainoo boasts exceptional ball control and uses his dribbling ability to escape tight spaces with ease.
Never got carried away with him like I did with mason greenwood. He's a tidy skillful little player but needs to do much more to be influential. He's got age on his side though. Hes got a good head on him as well. Hope he makes it here because he needs to impress quicker at a club like united.
Eze has explosiveness though which helps him get out of tight spaces too, otherwise he'd not be as threatening I don't think. He's more powerful too.
That is ridiculous.
I've seen Mainoo get away from players with ease though, so he must have something.
Oh man you’ve rattled me!!
We’ll have to see, but I don’t see him ever working in the system as a CM it requires too much athleticism which he doesn’t naturally poses. Maybe In the 10 but there are soo many players that could do a better job there.. I’m yet to be convinced he’ll get much starting minutes. However as you said he’s only 20, so maybe he can bide his time. Doubt he’ll be getting much England call ups in the meantime though.
I’ve got no issues with a debate, he just got abit rude because someone had a difference of opinion.
I do agree with you though. This might not be the best environment for him to improve at the minute but he’s not showing anything or any key attributes which makes me think he will dominate a midfield besides having great footwork.
It's still too early for me to make a judgement on, brother. I need to see what our summer transfer window looks like because the squad he's working with is just too much of a mess, and, so far, I've been impressed with what he's done.
With ten Hag, I could tell within his first transfer window that we weren't going to get the football we wanted because you aren't going to play progressive, on the front dominating football with a midfield two that has a combined age of over 60. I know Amorim has already had a transfer window, but the January one is always tricky.
That's understandable, and you may be right, but remember that in the last few games of last season, ten Hag FINALLY adjusted our style to a more organised, compact one, and not only did we end the season on a good run against some tough opposition, Mainoo looked just as good as he did in the basketball era. I think he capped the season off with winning MOTM in the FA Cup final, right?
Not only that, but he was one of our (England) better players at the Euros; outperforming the likes of Rice and Foden, and Southgate's system was a very rigid one.
He does NOT need to build more muscle. He's already muscular. He needs to improve his stamina.
As a trio Mainoo, Hojlund and Garnacho all need senior mentors in the squad to learn from.
Hojlund has nobody in the team to follow and base his game off. Garnacho is coping the best out of the three but in an ideal world he would have a prime Rashford to learn from but we all know how that turned out..
But in the summer I hope United add a 25-28 year old CM who Mainoo can learn from and play as the understudy for a season or two.
Hojlund has nobody in the team to follow and base his game off. Garnacho is coping the best out of the three but in an ideal world he would have a prime Rashford to learn from but we all know how that turned out..
But in the summer I hope United add a 25-28 year old CM who Mainoo can learn from and play as the understudy for a season or two.
I think he is naturally a number 10 rather than playing in the pivot, he operates incredibly well in tight spaces, I read somewhere that he is the only English player since Wayne Rooney to completely skip the U21s and go straight into the England senior team. Quite an achievement and it started the whole generational talent debate.
No disrespect to anyone but this Generational talent term makes me uneasy he's clearly got class and hopefully will go on to be world class but lets not get too ahead of ourselves
But to clarify, i love watching the kid, at times he has been a breath of fresh air and has put most of our senior players to shame when playing well ....feck it...the kids world class!! GENERATIONAL TALENT!
No disrespect to anyone but this Generational talent term makes me uneasy he's clearly got class and hopefully will go on to be world class but lets not get too ahead of ourselves
But to clarify, i love watching the kid, at times he has been a breath of fresh air and has put most of our senior players to shame when playing well ....feck it...the kids world class!! GENERATIONAL TALENT!
Old man Eriksen came in vs Brentford, and immediately we had more control of the game. We can safely assume that Mainoo is much fitter than Eriksen. If Mainoo can improve his positioning and passing to be more creative and penetrative, he could be a mainstay as CM.
That was fast
He has Casemiro, Bruno, Ugarte and Eriksen to learn from currently though.
Hmm I wouldn’t say those are the best teachers of how to control a midfield myself.
Especially in their current state…Casemiro would have to get clips off YouTube from about 5 years ago
You don’t need players in their prime to mentor players.Hmm I wouldn’t say those are the best teachers of how to control a midfield myself.
Especially in their current state…Casemiro would have to get clips off YouTube from about 5 years ago
Besides if we’re talking about controlling midfield, Eriksen is the best person to guide Kobbie on this considering his experience in the league even after he was robbed of his athleticism.
Ideally you’d want him away from Ugarte as much as possible - but it rarely works like that anyways. I mean who was teaching Haaland and Isak to become the great strikers they are, it’s not FM where you just assign mentors to players and hope they become good
Hmm I’d say Eriksen having played most of this career as a no.10 doesn’t make his a good mentor at all personally.
Also if they are all so great! then why haven’t United controlled a game of football in midfield for 3 years?
Football isn’t maths. Skills are transferable across positions.
Eriksen played mostly at the 10 at his prime but he still controlled the tempo of Spurs midfield and that’s something Kobbie can learn from. Just because Eriksen’s washed physically doesn’t mean he can’t mentor players.
And we can’t control the midfield because ETH bypassed the midfield and just resorted to having our wingers dribble the ball and do whatever they want.
Under Amorim, we’ve been improving on this and if you don’t realise it, you need to check what you’re watching.