Kobbie Mainoo has had a whirlwind week following his surprise call-up to the England senior squad, now he’s named his Manchester United heroes.
After his return from injury in November, Kobbie Mainoo has been an irreplaceable feature in Erik ten Hag‘s team and has fast become the first name on the team sheet.
Manchester United simply don’t have anyone else like him, and now Gareth Southgate has recognised his brilliance by handing him a delayed call-up to the senior England squad.
Now in line to get his first England cap over the next week against either Brazil or Belgium, Mainoo has been on media duty with BBC Radio 5 Live, discussing his footballing heroes, all of whom are Old Trafford legends.
Here’s what the 18-year-old has said…
Kobbie Mainoo names Manchester United trio as footballing heroes
Being a boyhood Manchester United fan, it’s little surprise that Mainoo has chosen three Red Devils legends as his heroes.
Speaking, as the quotes were reported by Simon Peach, who highlighted the teenager coming across impressively.
He said: “I’d say [Wayne] Rooney, [Paul] Scholes as well & King Eric [Cantona]. It was a bit before my time but I still appreciate it”.
Of the three, Scholes is the one that Mainoo could possibly have based his game on, although he is capable of the brilliance of both Cantona and Rooney with unstoppable dribbling and even goals.
With Mainoo having skills which are similar to Scholes and comfortable in the same position, Sir Jim Ratcliffe might’ve already found his ideal summer signing.
Kobbie Mainoo could be Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Paul Scholes
Earlier this week, Ratcliffe argued that he thought the United midfield is missing a Scholes-esque player, this led us to explore three potential options to sign which wouldn’t break the bank.
But now, it seems he could already have the ideal option in the squad, with Mainoo well suited to playing in that position where he can dribble forward, make progressive passes and have the occasion crack at goal.
This could mean that United focus instead on signing a more defensive-minded midfield, allowing Mainoo to hold a role which gives him license to get forward.
In a way, Ratcliffe has mis-profiled Mainoo by putting him in a bracket with Casemiro considering how technically proficient and smooth on the ball he is which gives him the potential to contribute further up the field.