I see the body language experts are back. Great. I’ve missed them. Just waiting for the mind readers and prophets to re-enter the fray to tell us what he’s thinking and exactly how good he’ll become, and then this should be easy. I’ll save some time and predict that “He’s not really into it and doesn’t buy into Amorim’s system”, while “He’ll never be good enough to be part of any top team and we should cash in now”.
Back on planet earth, where I’ll do the rarest of rare activities amongst a large section of the internet fanbase and engage my brain and use some real world context and common sense; I’ll say that Mainoo is a very valuable player for us who should be carefully developed.
He’s just 20 years old. His breakout season was unbelievable. He was probably our best player last season and forced his way into an England team that made the Euros final, being a revelation along the way. Like many players who had no summer off or notable preseason, he struggled for fitness and form this season. He also found himself with a new role, in a new system, under a new manager, in a historically terrible team. At just 19 (when that started). He never hit the standards of the season before, yet still managed some good performances and highlight reel moments. Unfortunately the expectations from the season before were sky high, so when he didn’t play like prime Modric, people became ready to discard him.
Utter madness. He’s got an extraordinary level of maturity and football intelligence for his age, and technically he’s superb. He brings many, many of the qualities we lack in midfield, but he’s still a kid. He’s not the messiah. Mainoo is one of the best talents to come through our academy for a very long time, he’s a very complete player in theory - something he has shown already but needs to readjust again to the new system - and we should be prioritising his development. Selling him for anything less than a gargantuan fee, would be criminal. And I would argue that unless there is a problem with a player - mentality or behavioural wise - then for a club like United (which is literally built on its youth development) to sell its best young academy talents, is really the beginning of the end.
I believe that Mainoo, partnered with a complimentary CM partner, can be at the heart of our midfield for a decade. He’s probably a little low on confidence - I imagine they all are - and he has areas of his game he needs to improve and develop, such as his physicality in certain moments and his progressive passing bravery, but if you can’t make it work with a player like him, then you may as well give up on the notion of developing young talent out of the academy, and just buy players in exclusively.
With a proper pre-season, his natural physical development continuing, and more confidence from playing with better players in a more competitive team, Mainoo would be one of my first choices on the team sheet. I believe we need to manage his expectations and responsibility, through management of his minutes and having real competition for places in midfield; but if you brought in someone like Baleba to play alongside him, that’s a combo I’d bet my house on. Especially over the medium to long term. Mainoo is a proper central midfielder, and I’d have him at the heart of my team all day long; but I’d do so knowing that there were still some rough edges (he’s just turned 20!!!!!!), and areas to develop.
The way some of the fans have turned on him and how ready they are to write him off would actually make me sick, if I didn’t console myself with how mind numbingly stupid that opinion is, and consequently how I can’t take anyone seriously who takes that position.
Back on planet earth, where I’ll do the rarest of rare activities amongst a large section of the internet fanbase and engage my brain and use some real world context and common sense; I’ll say that Mainoo is a very valuable player for us who should be carefully developed.
He’s just 20 years old. His breakout season was unbelievable. He was probably our best player last season and forced his way into an England team that made the Euros final, being a revelation along the way. Like many players who had no summer off or notable preseason, he struggled for fitness and form this season. He also found himself with a new role, in a new system, under a new manager, in a historically terrible team. At just 19 (when that started). He never hit the standards of the season before, yet still managed some good performances and highlight reel moments. Unfortunately the expectations from the season before were sky high, so when he didn’t play like prime Modric, people became ready to discard him.
Utter madness. He’s got an extraordinary level of maturity and football intelligence for his age, and technically he’s superb. He brings many, many of the qualities we lack in midfield, but he’s still a kid. He’s not the messiah. Mainoo is one of the best talents to come through our academy for a very long time, he’s a very complete player in theory - something he has shown already but needs to readjust again to the new system - and we should be prioritising his development. Selling him for anything less than a gargantuan fee, would be criminal. And I would argue that unless there is a problem with a player - mentality or behavioural wise - then for a club like United (which is literally built on its youth development) to sell its best young academy talents, is really the beginning of the end.
I believe that Mainoo, partnered with a complimentary CM partner, can be at the heart of our midfield for a decade. He’s probably a little low on confidence - I imagine they all are - and he has areas of his game he needs to improve and develop, such as his physicality in certain moments and his progressive passing bravery, but if you can’t make it work with a player like him, then you may as well give up on the notion of developing young talent out of the academy, and just buy players in exclusively.
With a proper pre-season, his natural physical development continuing, and more confidence from playing with better players in a more competitive team, Mainoo would be one of my first choices on the team sheet. I believe we need to manage his expectations and responsibility, through management of his minutes and having real competition for places in midfield; but if you brought in someone like Baleba to play alongside him, that’s a combo I’d bet my house on. Especially over the medium to long term. Mainoo is a proper central midfielder, and I’d have him at the heart of my team all day long; but I’d do so knowing that there were still some rough edges (he’s just turned 20!!!!!!), and areas to develop.
The way some of the fans have turned on him and how ready they are to write him off would actually make me sick, if I didn’t console myself with how mind numbingly stupid that opinion is, and consequently how I can’t take anyone seriously who takes that position.