Mainoo aiming to build on these achievements in 2025
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Mainoo aiming to build on these achievements in 2025
Saturday 04 January 2025 13:02
In 2024, Kobbie Mainoo established himself as a thrilling presence in the United line-up, racking up major achievements and becoming a terrace hero without breaking his stride.
Such has been the seamless nature of the midfielder’s assimilation to life in Unitedās first team, itās easy to forget that precisely a year before our last outing against Newcastle, he was making just his seventh senior start for the club.Ā
Even now, the 19-year-old barely has 50 appearances to his name, and yet itās near-impossible to imagine a United without him, such has been his deep impact on the collective consciousness.Ā
While 2024 was a breathless, rolling time in Unitedās history, it was unquestionably the year in which the Academy lad from Stockport has imprinted himself indelibly on his boyhood club. Hereās how he did itā¦
OFF AND RUNNING
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Even before January was out, Kobbie had notched his first senior goal for the Reds. Having started in the third-round win at Wigan, the midfielder retained his spot for the FA Cup fourth-round trip to Newport County, where it took him just 13 minutes to put United 2-0 up. His maiden first-team strike was executed in what would soon become trademark Mainoo style: unflustered to the extreme. Diogo Dalot carried possession into the right-hand side of the hostsā penalty area, pulled the ball back and, without breaking stride, the teenager whipped an unstoppable first-time finish into the far corner of the goal. āItās a big point in my career,ā he told MUTV after the Reds survived a scare to progress by a 4-2 margin. āObviously, coming in and to score my first goalā¦ Iāve been dreaming of this moment for a long time. Itās been amazing.ā
MOLINEUX MADNESSĀ
āI still feel like Iām dreaming,ā laughed the youngster when he next faced the post-match cameras, just four days after opening his account at Newport. This time, on the same day he picked up his first official club Player of the Month award for his January exploits, Mainoo was the centre of attention after a mind-blowing start to February. A fine personal display in the Redsā Premier League trip to Molineux looked set to go to waste when United squandered a 3-1 lead with just five minutes of normal time remaining. The hostsā late comeback squared the game in the 95th minute, yet somehow Kobbie found the time and composure to keep his calm in the storm, picking up possession from fellow Academy graduate Omari Forson, slaloming towards the Wolves goal and slotting in a sensational far-post winner. Just as gripping was the nonchalance of his celebration as he trotted towards an away section seized by bedlam, as if he hadnāt done anything special. As it turned out, fashioning the routine from the spectacular would become another of Kobbieās calling cards. āIām not saying heās of the same ability and heās that player yet, but he gives me the vibes of Clarence Seedorf,ā poured former Reds defender Rio Ferdinand, unpacking Mainooās star turn as a TNT pundit. āThe way he can manoeuvre in tight situations, and the way he manipulates the ball, uses his body at times… beautiful.ā
ENGLAND BREAKOUTĀ
Having caught the eye in such breathtaking fashion ā his winner at Wolves was named the Premier Leagueās Goal of the Month for February ā it was only a matter of time before Kobbie was given the chance to step into the senior international arena. Already capped from Under-17s through to Under-19s, Mainoo was called up to Gareth Southgateās England squad for Marchās friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, appearing in both as a substitute and starter respectively. After handling himself more than capably on both occasions, the young midfielder was increasingly spoken of as a potential member of Southgateās squad for the 2024 European Championship. āWhen you are playing for a club like Manchester United you are always under the spotlight,ā reflected Southgate. āHe has shown that with them and with us in March. We have never been afraid to put young players in, if players are good enough, we are not so concerned about their age. Itās helpful to have more evidence when you are making decisions on players.ā
HOME STUNNERĀ
Were more evidence needed for Southgate and his staff, the manner of Kobbieās first professional goal at Old Trafford made a compelling case. With Liverpoolās final visit under Jurgen Klopp poised at 1-1 midway through the second half, Unitedās no.37 stepped up to produce a mammoth contribution. Taking Aaron Wan-Bissakaās pass infield with his left foot, Mainoo adroitly spun and curled a show-stopping effort inside the far post at the Stretford End to spark total pandemonium inside Old Trafford. Though the Reds were ultimately forced to settle for a draw, the teenagerās contribution in English footballās showpiece fixture served only to underline his special talent. His spectacular strike won the clubās official Goal of the Month award, and as the Reds battled through a taxing season, his emergence continued to provide one of the happier subplots of the year. āFor those of us who work with him, itās been no surprise to see him scoring and playing really well in games,ā said fellow midfielder Casemiro. āI think we have a complete player in Kobbie ā aggressive, looks after the ball, a player who wants the ball. I would say that if Kobbie continues the way heās going with this mentality, continues training hard and doing things right, Manchester United have a great player for the next 15 years.ā
Mainooās top three goals of 2024 Video
Mainooās top three goals of 2024TOP THREE GOALS OF 2024 | Kobbie Mainoo became a fans’ favourite over the year, thanks mainly to these strikes…
WEMBLEY HEROĀ
In keeping with a tale seemingly set on fast-forward, Mainooās breakthrough year sped into the late-season shake-up. Shortly after turning 19, he was put forward for national interviews as the Reds prepared for the looming FA Cup final against Manchester City. Reflecting on his rapid rise, Kobbie told Dazed: āLast season when I was just training with the first team and I wasnāt playing with them, I used to think: āHow are they so quick to everything, how did they see that pass?ā So I just watched them to see what they were doing, where they were looking and what moves they were making, and tried to emulate it and put it into my game as well.ā Named the clubās Player of the Month for the second time after his May exploits, his displays included a calmly taken Stretford End opener against Newcastle, but were headlined by a magnificent, decisive outing at Wembley against Pep Guardiolaās Blues. Following Alejandro Garnachoās opportunistic opener, Mainoo was instrumental in a goal which immediately took its place in Old Trafford legend. Controlling Dalotās clearing header, the midfielder exchanged passes with Bruno Fernandes, slipped the ball wide to Marcus Rashford and motored forward, ensuring he was perfectly placed to steer home a sensational second and secure a stunning upset for Erik ten Hagās Reds. āThe best player in the squad and the youngest,ā smiled Garnacho, when asked for his post-match thoughts on his fellow scorer.
Kobbie and his bucket hat were inseparable during those epic post-final celebrations!
STAR OF THE SUMMERĀ
Shortlisted for both the PFA Young Player of the Year and Premier League Young Player of the Season awards, Kobbie was included in Englandās Euro 2024 squad and, after entering two group games as a substitute, established himself as a fixture in Southgateās starting XI thereafter, starting all four knockout ties. Watching on in his punditry capacity, ex-Reds skipper and midfield powerhouse Roy Keane was moved to remark: āYou see the stuff he is doing. I played in that position, but heās doing stuff that probably took me 10 years to learn. Heās obviously had a great foundation at United and heās getting into good habits that weāve seen in these big games ā and when youāre playing for Man United, every game is a big game, so heāll cope with all that.ā Englandās dramatic semi-final win over the Netherlands pitted Mainoo in opposition with his future Reds team-mate, Josh Zirkzee, who later revealed that the teenage midfielder had been one of the talking points among the Dutch substitutes. āKobbie had a fantastic game,ā said Zirkzee. āHe played incredible. [We were] actually talking about it also on the bench, like…this guy is very, very good!ā Though England came up just short in the final, losing 2-1 to Spain late on, Kobbieās contribution had underlined his development ā and brimming potential ā to all onlookers. As Three Lions forward and close friend Cole Palmer put it: āI think he was the best player at the Euros.ā
Mainoo was a shining star of England’s run to the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
THE NEXT STEP
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Despite his exertions on the international scene, following on from starting 23 of 24 United games in the second half of last season, Kobbie was straight back into the United starting XI when the 2024/25 domestic campaign opened in the Community Shield. Since then, he sat out the League Cup victory over Barnsley and the Europa League draw with Porto, but was otherwise omnipresent until sustaining a muscular injury in Octoberās league stalemate at Villa Park. His return against Everton at the start of this month resumed his rise, which is to continue under the guidance of Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese has endeavoured to discuss his players as a collective, rather than individually, but did smilingly label Mainoo āa very good playerā. With tantalising times ahead for United under new leadership, it seems certain that the Amorim era will merely be the next compelling chapter in Kobbie Mainooās thrilling story.
This feature was first published in our United Review matchday programme for the final game of 2024, at home to Newcastle.
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Saturday 04 January 2025 13:02
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