Kobbie Mainoo emphatically underlined his revival under Michael Carrick by slotting in Man Utd’s winning goal against Liverpool on Sunday.
Shut out of the team by Ruben Amorim, the 21-year-old is back in the centre of the stage and playing a starring role for United.
His big moment in the big rivalry match came just days after he put pen to paper on a new five-year contract with the club. That was something which looked unlikely during the winter transfer window, when talk of an exit from his Amorim exile was rife.
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool.
Mainoo’s goal also ensured United have secured qualification for the Champions League next season, making it a remarkable turnaround not just for Mainoo but for Man Utd as a team since the Portuguese head coach was sacked in January.
But Mainoo’s story is a particularly significant one for the fans. Manchester born and bred, the academy graduate, one of their own.
Amorim didn’t see Mainoo as a fit for his formation and picked him to start just one match all season – the Carabao Cup loss at Grimsby on penalties. With a World Cup on the horizon, it wasn’t unreasonable for Mainoo, who had started the Euros final for England in the summer of 2024, to be weighing up his options.
It’s been all change since then, though. He once again looks like having a long and successful future at the heart of this team.
With Amorim gone, interim boss Darren Fletcher brought Mainoo back into the fold and he has since started all but one of Carrick’s 14 games in charge, only missing the game with Leeds through injury.
On Sunday, he was player of the match, as well as the match-winner.
“I think Amorim, for Kobbie, was a nightmare,” said Sky Sports’ Daniel Sturridge. “For the type of player he is.
“Sometimes as a player, your style just doesn’t marry up well with the coach.
“With Carrick, it’s like it’s a dream. To have a fellow midfielder who can also coach and guide you, and say ‘this is what I need from you’ and go through it… And you have that mutual respect and you’re looking up to a guy of Carrick’s standing and what a player he was.”
Kobbie Mainoo has put pen to paper on a new five-year contract at Manchester United
Keane: Good Mainoo stayed to learn from the experience
Discussing Mainoo’s time out of the team and how Carrick has got him back at the heart of United’s gameplan, former United captain Roy Keane told Sky Sports those difficult months under Amorim could help the midfielder in the long run.
“It’s a great moment for him,” said Keane. “He’s had his challenges over the last few months. That’s the journey of any young player. He’s taken his opportunity. To score the winning goal for any local kid, it’s fantastic.
“The last six months will be quite good for him. For a young player at a big club, he comes on the scene and getting all the headlines, doing well and then getting involved with England.
“The last few months, people have been talking about him going out on loan, but I always said that sometimes you have to sit and learn, watch the game and the team.
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Watch the best of Kobbie Mainoo in the Premier League as the Manchester United midfielder agrees to extend his contract at Old Trafford.
“In football, there are good and bad experiences and I’ll think he’ll learn more from this last few months than when he first got into the team.
“He’s had to mature, he’s got his new deal, he’s had to learn his trade. He’s a young player, he’s still learning, he’s got years before he even peaks.
“He’s surrounded by experienced players, hopefully they’re helping him, so it’s been no bad thing.”
Sturridge explains how physical development can take Mainoo to ‘next level’
Despite Mainoo’s match-winning moment against Liverpool, there were occasions in the second half where Liverpool seemed to overrun United’s midfield pairing of Mainoo and Casemiro.
Sturridge reckons Mainoo must now focus on his physicality to take his game to the next level and strengthen his attributes when he plays in a central midfield pairing.
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Kobbie Mainoo fires Man Utd ahead against Liverpool as Old Trafford erupts!
“For Kobbie, it was a difficult time. Mentally, hearing your manager say ‘you’re up against Bruno Fernandes.’ Now, for him to come back into the squad week in and week out, he’s building some momentum,” said Sturridge.
“I would love to see him go to the next level. I’d like to see him work on his explosiveness, which he will get because he is only 21. And I want to see him bulk up. Then, I think he will be strong and robust. He will be a guy in there who can run. I think he needs to work on his capacity to run.
“I think Kobbie does have the capability to do that, but he doesn’t show it consistently.
“If he bulks himself up and gets explosive, we’re talking about a guy that can go to the next level.”
Mainoo: We want to follow and fight for Carrick
Speaking to Sky Sports after his performance against Liverpool, Mainoo said he and his team-mates want to “follow” and “fight” for Michael Carrick.
On the improvement of United since Carrick came in as replacement for Ruben Amorim, Mainoo said: “To turn it around the way we have done, it’s a credit to the players and the manager.
“We are just looking forward and still need to finish the season strong. We want to just keep on winning and winning.”
On his own turnaround, he added: “It was difficult, of course, any time you’re not playing football. I just tried to look forward as much as possible, keep working hard and keep my head down to get these things from it.”
He explained Carrick’s role in his revival: “It’s clearly a huge part. The confidence in not just me but all the players. You want to follow him and fight for him. That’s what we showed today.”
And reflecting on his goal, Mainoo said: “I’ve not been around the goals too much but happy to be around it in this game, such a special occasion and special fixture.”
