Cast your mind back to one year ago today, Manchester United were playing some of the best football they have played in the best part of a decade.
Manchester United were taking on EFL League One side Charlton Athletic with a place in the Carabao Cup semi-final up for grabs and they swept aside their lower division opponents thanks to a brace from Marcus Rashford and a stunning finish from Antony.
As well as this, just to wrap up a supremely comfortable tonight, 17-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo made his debut for the Red Devils and there was palpable excitement about the Englishman’s cameo.
Even though Charlton were lower division opponents, this was a cup quarter-final and Mainoo had not yet played a first team minute. It was a brave call from Erik ten Hag, and one which paved the way for a bright future.
He would go on to have three more cameos in the first team that season. A year on, he has taken an even bigger step forward and is making a major impact.
Mainoo’s whirlwind year
Many will remember Erik ten Hag pulling Mainoo, then 17, to one side and putting an arm around his shoulder and having a long conversation following the Carabao Cup final success against Newcastle United.
There was excitement then and it looked like the start of a potentially fruitful relationship and so it has proven. Mainoo excelled for the Red Devils during pre-season before an unfortunately timed injury against Real Madrid halted his progression.
United fans would have to wait nearly four months before they saw the teenage sensation but boy, was it worth the wait. Since his debut in the first team back in November, Mainoo has been by far and away the best player for the Red Devils.
His temperament, composure, and ability on the ball are exactly what United has been crying out for with progression and ball retention severely lacking amongst the other options in the engine room.
Against Wigan Athletic on Monday night, albeit it was an EFL League One side, Mainoo was on a different level to his teammates and was unlucky to not be awarded the man of the match award.
Former United academy goalkeeper Ben Amos was mesmerised by the midfielder’s performance when he took to social media platform X after the game.
Mainoo key to Ten Hag
Few would have predicted that a year on from his debut against Charlton in the Carabao Cup the Englishman would be vital for the Red Devils but the level of his performances means he has to be.
A midfielder, who is in a similar mold to that of a young Frenkie De Jong, is bound to excite Ten Hag and the 18-year-old simply has to stay in and around the first-team setup.
Even when Casemiro makes his long-awaited return from injury, the Brazilian must line up alongside Mainoo rather than replace the teenage sensation.
Mainoo is too important to be dropped for the remainder of this season, he is a certified starter for the Red Devils and it must remain that way.
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