Kobbie Mainoo scored the winner against Liverpool on Sunday, to cap off a week in which he penned a new Manchester United contract.
There won’t have been many five-day periods in Kobbie Mainoo’s life better than Wednesday to Sunday last week.
First, Mainoo signed his Manchester United contract, which runs until 2031, on enhanced terms thought to be in the region of £135,000-a-week.
Then, on Sunday, Mainoo scored the winner in a top display against Liverpool, knee-sliding in front of the Stretford End to celebrate with fans who adore him.
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Louis Saha says Kobbie Mainoo won’t fall off after new contract
Mainoo’s career has reached its best moment so far, but he will be desperate for this to be the beginning.
The 21-year-old has outlined his desire to win the Premier League with United, showing his ambition hasn’t died with the new money he’s on.
Louis Saha has been talking on TikTok about this, explaining that he believes Mainoo won’t fall off following his new contract, which he says did happen with Marcus Rashford.
“To actually win that game after two big mistakes. To still maintain that concentration and score that goal in the second half with Kobbie is great.
“Normally, when you sign a new contract, you tend not to play as much or as great. I don’t know why, but it happened to Rashy, it happened to other players. So it’s great to see that he’s got great support around him with Bruno, Casemiro, and Maguire.
“So I think that he’s going to be stable because he’s a very smart lad, but that’s not easy sometimes, the expectation to get to another level.”
Rashford penned his new deal after his best season in 2022/23, but he never reached comparable heights after a wage bump to £350,000-a-week.
However, it has been looked back on as the moment when there was a clear shift in Rashford’s career.
Mainoo’s wages being in line with the squad should be key in keeping him from tailing off like his teammate did after getting a wage boost to match the league’s highest earners.
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Marcus Rashford before and after signing 2023 Manchester United contract
United’s wage budget was out of control under the Glazers, and Rashford’s massive wage was just another example of this.
Clearly, it impacted his desire to perform, when comparing the stats from his time at United before and after July 18th 2023 when he penned his deal.
| Period | Games | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 18 July 2023 | 359 | 123 | 68 |
| After 18 July 2023* | 67 | 15 | 6 |
| Total United Career | 426 | 138 | 74 |
This is a drop from 0.53 goal contributions per 90 to 0.31, which is a pretty huge decrease, and the only difference was the contract.
Keeping Mainoo and future graduates on a wage that is in line with the squad and league is key to not seeing them lose concentration.
Rashford could return this summer, but if he does, United would need to find a way to cut his wage because he is not worth it.
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