Manchester United coach Michael Carrick is making the most of Kobbie Mainoo right now.
Kobbie Mainoo is an outstanding young footballer. Manchester United fans know it, and so does current head coach Michael Carrick.
But I actually feel that one man deserves more credit for making it all possible, the man who handed Kobbie Mainoo his debut; Erik ten Hag.
18 months on from his sacking, it’s fair to say that there is a complicated viewpoint of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman was responsible for some of the worst signings in recent Manchester United history, and also oversaw the most humiliating result in memory away at Liverpool.
Ten Hag also delivered two trophies for Manchester United, the only manager to win silverware since Jose Mourinho in 2017.
Perhaps his biggest legacy is the breakthrough of Kobbie Mainoo.
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Erik ten Hag was convinced by Kobbie Mainoo’s talent
Erik ten Hag gave Kobbie Mainoo his Manchester United debut as a starter in January 2023, during the club’s Carabao Cup campaign.
After the Carabao Cup Final, Ten Hag was pictured pulling Mainoo aside, promising that he would be part of his vision for future success.
Just over a year later, Mainoo was scoring the winner at Wembley against City in a spectacular 2-1 win.
Between these points, Ten Hag turned Mainoo from academy wonderkid into regular Manchester United starter.
Speaking in December 2023 after a 0-0 draw at Anfield, Ten Hag said: “If you are good enough, you are old enough and he proved that.
“When he gets used more often to those games, we will get even more joy from it. Because then his scanning and his speed of action, he can get such passes, three or four passes in and get switches in, and he is the player who can really hurt opponents.”
Mainoo has gone on to star for England, and is now back as a Manchester United starter, playing key roles in victories over City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Chelsea in 2026.
Ten Hag was completely convinced that Mainoo was a player he could build around.
For all of his faults, Ten Hag’s bravery to put his faith and trust in Mainoo is one decision he got absolutely right.
And if you felt Mainoo was too good for Ten Hag to ignore, his replacement Ruben Amorim proven how the situation could easily have taken a different path.
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Kobbie Mainoo is lucky. Very lucky.
Where would he be if Ruben Amorim had been in charge during his breakthrough seasons instead of Erik ten Hag?
Amorim made clear that he did not rate Mainoo as good enough to be a starter in his system. He did not pick him to start a single Premier League game in 2025/26 before his sacking.
When Michael Carrick replaced him, it was an easy decision to bring Mainoo back into the team.
It was easy because Carrick had already witnessed what Mainoo could do for the first team under Erik ten Hag. Without that, would he have been brave enough to make him a regular starter?
The truth is that if Ruben Amorim had been in charge between 2022 and 2026, Kobbie Mainoo would no longer be at Manchester United.
Mainoo might have never been given a first team chance, at least not as a regular starter.
Some will argue that Erik ten Hag’s decision to play Mainoo was easy because he was a generational talent who should have been fast-tracked regardless.
But if that was ‘easy’, then Amorim’s task was ‘super easy’. Ten Hag had already done the hard work and brought Mainoo through, given him experience and established him as a top star.
Amorim still blew it. And in the process, his actions make Ten Hag’s decisions look even more important.
It poses a wider question, how many talented young players have been lost to Manchester United and to other clubs, just because they found themselves in the wrong situation.
Wrong manager, wrong time.
Mainoo could have been sent out on loan, picked up an injury or struggled with the circumstances, and got lost in the shuffle.
Erik ten Hag did not get everything right. Alvaro Fernandez was a blind spot, and he was quick to give up on James Garner and Maxi Oyedele too.
But when it comes to Kobbie Mainoo, he made the right decisions at the right time.
Mainoo’s formative years were critical to get right, and while Amorim nearly destroyed him, he is now back on track under Michael Carrick.
For all the praise Carrick deserves, we also should recognise Erik ten Hag’s part in setting Mainoo on the path to success.
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