Ex-Chelsea duo praise Manchester United wonderkid, one says he feels sorry for his teammate

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Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo made a big impression on his first Premier League start for the club.

Kobbie Mainoo, 18, showcased his ability with a superb performance in the weekend win away at Everton.

The confident manner of the win has given a feelgood factor back to Manchester United, temporarily at least, with Mainoo knitting together a complete display with his confidence in possession and willingness to show for the ball.

Mainoo was voted as the fans’ man of the match, while supporters also took to social media to hail his convincing display.

Praise for Kobbie Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo’s display was praised by a pundit who has not had very complimentary things to say about Manchester United this season, Craig Burley.

The former Chelsea man told ESPN: “He just looks so composed on the ball, one of the things they have struggled with. I just thought his performance was fantastic.”

Another former Chelsea player, Mario Melchiot, was also blown away by Mainoo’s display at Goodison Park.

He said: “An 18-year-old kid who can dictate the tempo of the team like that…

“That young kid, that young to come into a team, when all the eyes are on you, the energy he has, the way he was demanding the ball, they were playing him the ball, he was showing up for the ball.

“The key moment for me was a tackle he made in the box, and he made a block and I was like ‘wow’.”

Melchiot on Amrabat

Melchiot added that he now feels sorry for Manchester United loan signing Sofyan Amrabat, who was left out of the team at Mainoo’s expense.

He explained: “I feel sorry for Amrabat, he [Ten Hag] spends a lot of money for him and he puts him on the bench and the 18-year-old kid comes in. When you signed for the team you didn’t expect that to happen, ‘this is not going to be part of my battle’.

“Now this kid has put himself in, ‘come on let’s have it, we are going to battle for that position’, the way it looks now, it looks kind of open.”

He added, in admiration of Mainoo: “If I was 18-years-old and I played like him, I would go all the way.”

Amrabat must rise to the challenge

While Kobbie Mainoo may be the future, Amrabat must step up and show he can form a partnership alongside him, especially while Casemiro is out with an injury.

Amrabat can help too, with Manchester United needing to manage Mainoo’s minutes carefully.

In fact, with the African Cup of Nations upcoming in January and Amrabat set to head off with Morocco, Manchester United might load up on the loanee’s minutes in December, and feature Mainoo more in 2024.

The challenge currently, is that Mainoo suddenly looks like an absolute must-pick. It is a challenge Amrabat must rise to, and show he deserves to be considered in the same way.