It’s only a few years since Manchester United’s rising star was doing the business in a very different area of the pitch.
And while the FA Cup final hero is very much a midfielder these days – even a deep-lying one on occasions – the revelation that he has a past as a centre-forward will not come as too much of a surprise to those who watched the Carrington graduate stroke the most composed of finishes into the Man City net.
Slotting Bruno Fernandes‘ inspired assist past Stefan Ortega while barely breaking stride or breaking sweat, Kobbie Mainoo‘s Wembley winner was one even the most seasoned of number nines would have been proud of.
In fact, all five of his Manchester United goals have been rather special, either in their timing or their execution. Sometimes, both.
Mainoo opened his senior account against Newport County in the FA Cup; a sumptuous sweeping shot into the far corner. Then came his maiden Premier League strike, dancing though a stunned Wolves backline and curling home with 97 minutes on the clock. Mainoo also whipped in a wondergoal against arch rivals Liverpool and passed into the postage stamp in that 3-2 win over Newcastle on the league’s penultimate matchday.
Kobbie Mainoo is Manchester United’s FA Cup hero
“As a youngster, he was a centre-forward,” Man United’s academy director Nick Cox now tells Sky Sports. “And (he) scored a lot of goals.
“I’ve seen him play in all sorts of attacking positions. Around the age of 15, 16, he was more of an attacking midfielder.”
Suddenly, the ice-cool nature of Mainoo’s finishing makes that little bit more sense.
Paul Scholes, as the champagne poured at Wembley, laughed off comparisons between Mainoo and his own teenage self, insisting that Man United’s number 37 is far further along his development than he was at the same age.
But whether Mainoo develops into a midfielder capable of scoring around 15 goals season after season remains to be seen. The 19-year-old does, at least, already appear to have the composure, the timing, the precision and appreciation of space the very best goalscoring midfielders possess.
“All of our boys are high-potential but you certainly could see that Kobbie had some attributes that meant we wanted to continue working with him,” Cox adds, Mainoo perhaps the most exciting young midfielder to emerge out of Carrington since Scholes himself three decades ago.
“As time unfolded, it became clear he potentially had the ability to go on and play for our first team. On the pitch – even as a little ‘un – he was then what he is now. He’s mastered the ball – he manipulates it brilliantly.
“You could tell he had athletic potential. And now you see a powerful, explosive player.”
Five goals already for the Red Devils first-team
For Cox, it is not Mainoo’s raw ability but his attitude which marks the Stockport schemer out as a potentially generation-defining talent.
“Probably his most impressive quality was his character and his personality. Kobbie’s always been humble, laid back – maybe even quiet off the pitch,” Cox explains.
“As much as I’ve been impressed by what he’s done on the pitch, I’ve been really impressed with the way he’s dealt with the media and coped with the spotlight.
“He’s remained cool but expressed the side of him that we’ve known since he was a little boy.”