Cobby Mainu showed his maturity and talent during Manchester United's victory over Arsenal in New Jersey. Photo: USA TODAY/Vincent Carchietta.
Mention Cobby Maina at Manchester United and it's interesting that some admit that the cool young midfielder is exactly the kind of talent they may have lost at Manchester City a few years ago when Old Trafford's academy » was able to flow.
While City were throwing millions into their academy and recruiting the best young players in the country, United's famed youth structure, like the club as a whole, was not in the best position.
It was acknowledged that just as much serious effort and investment had gone into getting the plant back on track. The fact that Maina was not taken away, and now he is knocking on the door of the first team, indicates some improvements in the academy.
None of this means that Mainu is destined to reach the top, but Alejandro Garnacho is no longer the only academy graduate currently backed by United manager Erik ten Hag.
The hype around Mainu is gradually getting louder, and anyone who watched the humble 18-year-old against Arsenal at New Jersey's Metlife Stadium on Saturday night will understand why United have little interest in loaning him out next season. despite the hype. are of interest to Championship and League One clubs.
Manchester United are keen to keep Maina in the spotlight, but behind the scenes they are thrilled with him. Photo: Getty Images/Mark Runnacles
There are plenty of teenagers who would be thrilled at the prospect of playing in front of 82,000 people at the New York Giants' home against a midfield lineup of Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and a £105m player Sterling Declan Rice. But Mainu not only took everything in stride, but thrived in the spotlight.
When asked to pin the midfield, with Bruno Fernandez and Mason Mount on either side, Mainu exuded composure as he jumped into the space between centre-backs Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez to collect the ball and help United build up their defence. And his creative instincts and vision were evident in the pass that saw Fernandez score United's first goal in a 2-0 win, and again when he shot from deep and made an accurate pass 30 yards behind for Antoni to chase him down.
United don't want to draw too much attention to Mine. He was scheduled to appear alongside Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot at a commercial event in Basking Ridge, New Jersey where the team was on the first leg of their US tour, but it was ultimately decided that it would be best . he sits. However, the best players recognize talent when they see it, and Fernandes wasn't about to downplay the promise to Maine when asked about him after the Arsenal game.
“He's a great player,” said the new United captain. “He has good ball control, is strong, can defend and attack. He is still quite young, but we see a great future for him.”
Some United fans were surprised to see the club sell Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage to Utrecht and Reading respectively this summer, but that was in part because Mainu was already seen as ahead of both players in terms of his development. The fact that Mainu was preferred against Arsenal over Donny van de Beek, who didn't play a minute against Mikel Arteta's team, speaks volumes about how highly Ten Hag rates him and his chances next season are likely to be will improve even more if United press Brazilian midfielder Frede. this summer.
Main was chosen by Donnie van de Beek. Photo: Action Images/Lee Smith
Bryan Robson, the former United captain and England midfielder, likes what he sees.
“He's calculating, he reads the game and he does everything in his own time,” Robson said. “He closes very well, gets the ball and changes the formation of the game, speeds it up when he wants to, and he uses his football brain. I am very impressed with him.”
Mine only turned 18 in mid-April, but already has a masculine physique and given the intensity and fitness of the Premier League, this is a valuable asset, combined with such natural comfort with the ball and high technical ability. It helps that he always, so to speak, “played along”. He played regularly for the under-18s when he was just 16 and was the second youngest member of the team that won the FA Youth Cup last year when United beat Nottingham Forest 3-1.
The United managers were impressed by the maturity he showed in the EFL Trophy games last season when he comfortably handled the physical strength and aggression of League One teams.
It was at the winter training camp last December, when Ten Hag took a young team to Cadiz in Spain, when most of his older stars were at the World Cup in Qatar, that manager took a much closer look at Maina. He liked what he saw and was so impressed that just two months later the midfielder made a surprise first-team debut against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup. Since then, Mainoo hasn't looked back.
Born and raised in Stockport, England U19 international played for Chaddle and Gatley Juniors before being spotted by United, where he has been since the age of nine. Eligible to play for Ghana thanks to his father, Mainu is known to visit this African country regularly given his family heritage.
One thing that struck Ten Hag was Mainu's calm nature. United's academy coaches and technical director Darren Fletcher have long been impressed with Mainu's attitude and diligence, and the club are reassured that he has such a good head on his shoulders.
This has not always been the case over the years with some of the club's brightest young players. Adnan Januzaj was as good an example as anyone, and even Garnacho demanded a few words of silence, not least during the last summer tour of Thailand and Australia, when the Argentine winger was late for a couple of team meetings.
< p >Mainoo isn't someone who can get ahead of himself, but his legs are already talking.
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