Kobbie Mainoo, a midfielder for Manchester United, was outstanding in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
Manchester United hero Paul Scholes believes Kobbie Mainoo is ’10 times the player’ he was at 19 (Image: GETTY)
Paul Scholes, a hero for Manchester United, thinks Kobbie Mainoo is “ten times the player” he was when he was just 19 years old. In the FA Cup final on Saturday, the teenage sensation stole the show for Erik ten Hag’s team. He scored the game’s second goal to help the Red Devils defeat Manchester City 2-1.
Alejandro Garnacho scored United’s first goal thirty minutes into the match at Wembley, taking advantage of a mistake made by Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol to bundle the ball into an empty net.
Mainoo further increased his team’s lead by sweeping the ball past Ortega with a brilliant assist from captain Bruno Fernandes.
Mainoo disrupted City’s play, controlled the midfield, and converted defense into attack in brilliant form.
Scholes also posted on Instagram following the altercation, saying, “Read a few comparisons between me and this kid last week.” He is 10 times the player I was at 19 years old, so don’t waste your time.
I adore his receiving technique, composure, awareness of his surroundings, and of course, his big goals in pivotal moments. This boy is unique. He’s also a f***ing red.
Mainoo came through the Red Devils academy before making his first-team debut in a Carabao Cup quarterfinal matchup with Charlton last January. He was named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional Euro 2024 squad on Tuesday.
Since last fall, the 19-year-old has been a constant in the United lineup, starting the final 22 Premier League games of the season for his team.
And he beamingly said, “It means absolutely everything,” following the FA Cup final. After a difficult season filled with highs and lows, this final has been all we’ve had to look forward to lately. To win it back after last year is really significant. I was watching then from the stands. It’s amazing.
The players and staff this week have been outstanding, and we knew we had to pull together. Everything has been perfectly prepared. It’s a huge victory on a huge platform that we have demonstrated our ability to compete and win games.
“Being selected for the Euro 2024 squad has been an amazing week, but I just want to focus on this right now; I can’t look too far ahead.”
“He was [great], it was really so enjoyable to watch Kobbie at his age,” his manager Ten Hag continued. He serves as an example; we intended to play him, but he suffered a serious injury in the preseason’s second game and needed a long time to recover.
“I believe that calmness is necessary.” Here in England, you are very adept at holding managers and players to a very high standard and then punishing them for one or two subpar performances.
