Manchester United are in the USA for the second leg of their pre-season tour, a destination that has become a favourite for the summer.
The facilities plus space provided to the players make it an ideal place to get fitness back while also unwinding away from the intense public eye in the UK.
Some players are still on holiday after their extended international duty at Copa America and the Euros, Kobbie Mainoo being one of them.
The youngster rose to become a crucial player for England in their run to the finals and he’s now relaxing in the USA before the season begins.
Man Utd fans react to amazing Kobbie Mainoo video
Mainoo’s love for football was recently on full display as despite being on holiday, he was spotted playing football on Venice Beach.
He brought out the “street” style of the game, the romanticised version of football that is increasingly getting coached out of players in strict tactical systems.
He slalomed around the players with minimal ease, as if he were playing at 0.5x speed, and his bag of tricks on video left the United fans speechless.
Mainoo skipped past multiple players before nutmegging the final one, putting the ball into the net as the crowd converged around him.
One compared his presence to another silky United midfielder who had moments that left fans in awe, “That one player with AURA in and off the pitch after Paul Pogba”, as another said, “Cooks wherever he goes!”.
Another said, “Kobbie bringing FIFA street back, my starboy”, while another marked him for success in another sport, saying, “Futsal is the way!”.
Some fans were still traumatised by Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro suffering injuries. One sent Mainoo a message, “Don’t get injured on that surface my boy, we have PTSD now”. Another echoed similar sentiments, “Be careful, please don’t get injured!”.
He stopped to sign some autographs afterward, a testament to the growing popularity of the United’s star man. Below is the video:
This is Mainoo’s season
Kobbie Mainoo’s rise has been spectacular but it is worth noting that he wasn’t even playing until nearly the second half of the season due to injury in last year’s pre-season.
This time, however, he is coming off a star-making performance in the Euros, building on his exceptional end to the club season.
As a known quantity now, the pressure and expectation will now be on him to deliver and if he copes with that well, the sky is the limit.
Of course, nothing we have seen from Mainoo so far gives any reason to think that he will be fazed by the pressure, as he has taken every jump in quality in his stride and dominated proceedings.
United have a world-class talent on their hands already, now the responsibility is on them to provide a structure that maximises his qualities and leads the club to more trophies.
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