Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United playmaker Christian Eriksen praised the rise of youngster Kobbie Mainoo into the starting eleven this season
Manchester United playmaker Christian Eriksen heaped praise on the youngster Kobbie Mainoo for stamping his name into the senior team. Mainoo is enjoying a breakthrough season since making his first competitive start in the 3-0 victory over Everton in November.
United manager Erik ten Hag has struggled to install consistency into his senior team as their season plummeted into chaos. The Red Devils have lost 14 out of 28 games in all competitions, due to injuries and poor individual performances.
United’s midfield has failed to shore up the spaces between the defence and middle channels while also struggling to create. The lack of shape and struggles with dictating the tempo of the game made things easier for the opposition.
United’s main defensive midfielder Casemiro received scrutiny for failing to keep up with the pace of the Premier League. Meanwhile, new signings Mason Mount and Sofyan Amrabat failed to live up to the hype they carried during the summer.
Scott McTominay has enjoyed a prolific season in front of goals but his performance in midfield is still lacking. The troubling midfield provided an opportunity to Mainoo and he repaid the faith shown by manager Erik ten Hag.
Speaking to TeamViewer Diaries (h/t manutd.com), Eriksen praised the training work ethic and qualities of Mainoo. He said:
“I’m very impressed. Luckily I’ve seen him in training and I’ve seen him [from] close by. I really like what I see. I mean, he’s an exceptional player. He’s still a very young lad, but he’s doing really well, and he’s getting his spot in the team.”
The 31-year-old provided a word of wisdom to the 18-year-old by asking him to stay professional for the first team. He added:
“Just like what he’s doing: being available for training and showing his qualities in the game, which he has done. Then obviously it’s up to the manager to choose and to play him and get his confidence from there. But I think at the moment and how he’s behaved in the first team around us has been really good. I think he’s in a good spot.”
The new talent from the prestigious United academy showed courage and quality along with maturity on the ball. The 18-year-old shored up the defence with tenacious play and energy while using the ball wisely in distribution.
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Mainoo is still learning but he has already proven that he is ready to be a key part of the senior team setup. The United fans love it when an academy product proves his worth among the world-class talents in the senior team.
