Kobbie Mainoo made his first return to Manchester United since his injury in pre-season in a UEFA Youth League match against Copenhagen. Here’s how he played.
FC Copenhagen’s youth hopefully didn’t foreshadow what’s to come later on for Manchester United‘s first-team squad, as they beat the Red Devils 1-0 in the UEFA Youth League.
A late strike from the Danish side from Queyrell Tchicamboud was enough to take the three points, in a game that Rasmus Hojlund’s brother also featured in.
But for the Red Devils, the biggest bit of news is that Kobbie Mainoo returned. Here’s how he got on.
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Kobbie Mainoo vs Copenhagen
So how did the English midfielder do? Well, the first thing to note – it’s evident he wasn’t at full fitness.
Kobbie Mainoo only managed 45 minutes – before being substituted for Jayce Fitzgerald.
In his cameo, one thing that was noticed was that it was almost impossible to get the ball off him. He stood very strong in the centre of the park today, and his defensive capabilities really shone through.
Overall, he was really excellent for a man that had been out for so long and the Copenhagen midfield couldn’t get near him half the time.
But if were being critical, he did look off the pace. Nevertheless, this was anticipated and the main thing is he got 45 minutes in the tank.
He looked a little less mobile than what we saw from some of his performances in pre-season, but rightly so – he has been out since July.
It’s important not to rush back…
It is really imperative we look after Mainoo.
After seeing what’s happened to Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia, it’s important we take care of the young man’s injury.
Mainoo is evidently a special talent and needs to be nurtured. A good decision today from the club to feature in the Youth League as opposed to the first-team squad.
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