Manchester United silenced a raucous Goodison Park on Sunday, sweeping past Everton 3-0 to secure their third consecutive Premier League victory.
The win will be remembered for years to come for Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning overhead kick, reminiscent of Wayne Rooney’s wonder goal against Manchester City all those years ago.
The Argentine rightly took home all the plaudits but it was another academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo who put in a performance for the ages, highlighting he is ready to take up the mantle as United’s defensive midfielder in the absence of Casemiro.
Mainoo, a star is born
Thrown into the deep end for his first-ever Premier League start amidst a cauldron of noise, most youngsters would have found it tough to handle.
But not the teenage sensation who thrived under pressure and what was even more impressive was he just recently recovered from a nasty ankle injury.
He covered almost every blade of grass during his 70-minute display, showcasing an expert understanding of positional awareness as he consistently dropped deep to link up play and cover for his marauding full-backs.
He has been helped by the fact that he is learning from the former Real Madrid superstar and Sofyan Amrabat back at Carrington with his attitude impressing one and all.
Manager Erik ten Hag and skipper Bruno Fernandes were full of praise for the England U-19 international and as per The Daily Star, a potential fight is on the cards regarding his international allegiance.
The United academy graduate is eligible to represent Ghana but Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate wants to meet the young midfielder to sort out the issue.
Southgate wants Mainoo to represent England
Quite a few promising youngsters have opted against representing England in recent years and the England manager is keen to ensure Mainoo does not go along the same route.
“Gareth Southgate will target Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo in a bid to keep him out of the clutches of Ghana. Southgate is desperate to see him pledge his international future to the Three Lions instead.
“The England boss is expected to hold talks with the midfielder in the hope of persuading him to stick with the country of his birth. And Mainoo could even be fast-tracked into Lee Carsley’s England U21 squad to speed up the process.”
United will need to take things slowly with Mainoo despite his obvious talent and try to keep him grounded so as to not get carried away with all this tabloid attention.