Kobbie Mainoo is already among the best midfielders in Europe, Manchester United have a duty to keep it that way

Kobbie Mainoo among the best already

There is a reason why there are comparisons to Sergio Busquets, even by former Manchester United player Louis Saha.

Delving into his data, it becomes clear that this is one of the best young English talents for many years.

Comparing him to other world-class midfielders in his squad, such as Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, he has impressive stats, especially for a player of his age.

According to FB Ref he is incredibly useful on the ball with the best dribbling data completed compared to the two veterans.

Also, despite playing a deep role for the team, he has the second best “Through Balls per 90” in the team and has the fifth best goal creating action per 90 of all Manchester United players.

Mainoo avoids the press

But arguably the biggest asset Kobbie Mainoo brings to the team is his ability to make and break plays. Manchester United had problems with pressing last season.

The team was 10th in PPDA, a pressing metric, and 10th in the league in turnovers.

The midfielder managed to improve things for the team as he had 3.22 ‘tackles and interceptions’ per 90 and places him as one of the best regular performers in the squad.

Kobbie Mainoo’s pressing ability is arguably the best in the team with the best “Attacking 3rd Tackles” made on 90 players with more than 10 appearances this season.

In fact, his ‘Attacking 3rd Tackles’ data is so impressive that he is in the top six percent of midfielders in Europe’s top 5 leagues.

Tactically, Mainoo is wise beyond his years. He notices important play patterns in the game and often finds the perfect pass to advance the ball.

He is able to beat the press and progress the team’s attack, allowing the team to move towards the attacking third.

You worry about Kobbie Mainoo’s playing time

A concern that has come to the fore in the minds of many Manchester United fans is the fact that Mainoo has already had a ‘long-term’ injury so early in his career.

In the 2023/24 pre-season he was sidelined with an ankle injury which saw him miss 23 games.

However, the good news is that after this extended break, he was able to bounce back without re-injuring himself.

The biggest concern when a player is out for a long period of time is either a direct injury or a related injury which can see them struggle to maintain their fitness. But this was not the case.

He has also already shown significant resilience this season with knocks and troubles throughout the campaign but managed to keep them under control and play through them.

The most important thing now is that the club has to make the player for the future. Manchester United must ensure a good pre-season for the player.

This improves fitness and also works to prevent injuries. This is vitally important as he missed this prep work last season due to this ankle injury.

Beyond this season the club will have to protect him from exaggeration. An example of this is Pedri, who was over-judged by Barcelona and led to injury problems.

FIFPro explained in a 2023 report on the dangers of player overexposure that Pedri was put at risk because he “played 78 matches over a 12-month period with virtually no opportunities for extended rest in between… highlights the need for mandatory guarantees and enforcement mechanisms. to protect well-being”.

If Manchester United are to protect Mainoo’s talent, they need to ensure that his charge is properly taken care of.

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