Manchester United did not have a lot of reasons to be cheerful in the defeat to Bayern Munich, which confirmed Champions League elimination.
One bright spot came in the guise of Kobbie Mainoo, who made his first appearance at Old Trafford this season, coming off the bench for the final 10 minutes.
Mainoo, 18, got stuck straight in, with the teenager doing what he could to try and get the Red Devils back into the game.
He was immaculate in possession, completing nine of nine total passes, four of which were played into the final third.
Kobbie Mainoo praised
Kobbie Mainoo was praised by former Manchester United star and TNT Sports commentator Owen Hargreaves.
Hargreaves said: “I was looking forward to seeing Kobbie Mainoo. He’s such a good player, it’s his composure on the ball.
“You can pass it to him anywhere. He’s going to be a proper player.”
Mainoo has been used cautiously
Manchester United started Kobbie Mainoo against Everton and he earned huge praise, thanks to a performance considered by many to be man of the match, despite Alejandro Garnacho’s overhead kick goal.
However, he has started only one match since, the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, which was not a defeat reflective on his performance.
Instead, this reflects United’s caution over giving too much game time to a young player, as well as Ten Hag’s own trust in Sofyan Amrabat, who played well against Chelsea.
It has also been a reflection of Erik ten Hag’s tactics to play with only one holding midfielder, who accommodate attacking threats Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay.
The final 10 minutes of the match against Bayern saw Mainoo and Amrabat share a pitch together for the first time this season, although the Moroccan played in defence for the final 10 minutes with Raphael Varane taken off.
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