It has been over three years since Kobbie Mainoo graduated from Manchester United’s academy into the first team.
Kobbie Mainoo’s ability is clear to us all… except Ruben Amorim, who didn’t give the 21-year-old a single Premier League start this past season before being sacked in January.
However, since Michael Carrick arrived as head coach, Mainoo has been a key component of the team. He has helped United to a third-place finish in the Premier League, securing Champions League qualification in the process.
Mainoo has come a long way at Old Trafford. From stepping into the dressing room under Erik ten Hag as a rookie to being considered a starter in United’s midfield for the coming years, it’s already been a whirlwind of a story for the young star.
If Elliot Anderson is £125m… What is Kobbie Mainoo’s market value right now?
Not that he's going anywhere…🔒
How Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro shocked Kobbie Mainoo
For the last five months of the 2025/26 season, Mainoo partnered with Casemiro in the middle of the pitch.
It was always going to be Casemiro’s final few months at Old Trafford because United decided not to renew the experienced Brazilian’s contract.
Still, Casemiro left an everlasting impression on Mainoo, who recently recalled how the former Real Madrid star and Bruno Fernandes left him shocked when he started training with United’s first team.
In an interview with United’s club media, Mainoo also named Casemiro and Fernandes as the two players who have helped him the most.
“I would say Bruno and Casemiro. Even a few seasons ago, when I wasn’t playing, when I was, I think 17, when I made that season where I made my debut.
“I wasn’t playing really at all, made a couple of appearances, but I got to watch, and I was training with the first team every day.
“So I got to watch them closely and see what they do, and I remember the first few sessions I was like shocked. I was like, “Damn, this is the level.”
“But then you watched them, and I was trying to like dissect what they were doing and how they were getting in this space and that space. And because I wasn’t playing, I had a lot of time just training.
“So I had to like watch what they’re doing very closely and try to implement it into my game to try and make me better.”
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Kobbie Mainoo remembers being left shocked by Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro when he started training with Manchester United’s first team
- Mainoo has been in United’s first team for three years
- The 21-year-old is enjoying his best football under Michael Carrick after a difficult period when Ruben Amorim was in charge
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It remains to be seen who will partner Kobbie Mainoo next season
So far this summer, United have reached an agreement to sign Ederson.
That means Ederson will be added to United’s list of midfielders ahead of the new season, although the club is expected to make further additions to revamp the midfield area.
As a result, Mainoo could be partnered by Ederson or one of the other midfield targets next season.
The Brazilian is a different profile of player from Casemiro.
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