Man Utd beat Barnsley in ‘private friendly’ but Kobbie Mainoo misses out

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Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo will need to wait a little longer to return from injury after not featuring in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Barnsley in a ‘secret friendly’ at Carrington. The Red Devils have been known to play matches behind closed doors throughout Erik ten Hag’s reign, with the Dutchman often taking advantage of the opportunity to keep his players sharp during international breaks.

United made light work of Barnsley on Tuesday, with both sides fielding teams made up of fringe players and those needing extra minutes in their legs. Mainoo was initially pencilled in to play after making progress in his recovery from an ankle injury but ended up missing the match, according to the Manchester Evening News.

It is said that Mainoo was deemed unfit to feature against Barnsley after United coaches decided that it was too soon for him to play in a full game. He has been out of action since pre-season after injuring his ankle against Real Madrid and has been sidelined for nearly three months.

Mainoo took part in first-team training with his United team-mates earlier this month and appeared to be making huge strides in his bid to return to match action. However, it seems as though he will need to keep being patient and avoid taking unnecessary risks in order to prevent any further setbacks.

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The 18-year-old has already been earmarked as a potential anchor man by Ten Hag, who said in August: “Kobbie Mainoo, we have seen him against Arsenal [in pre-season], he is ready to also pick that role.

“At this moment, he’s not available but I think he will also, in say one, two months. Not in one month, but in two months, he will be available, and so for the winter coming up he absolutely will have his games.”

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United coped just fine without Mainoo on the pitch against Barnsley, who were no match for the Red Devils over the course of the match. Donny van de Beek and Antony were reportedly among those who started for United, with the latter still building up his fitness after missing over two weeks of training last month.

Van de Beek, meanwhile, has played just 21 minutes for United this season across two substitute appearances and was expected to leave Old Trafford during the summer transfer window. He is said to have been among the scorers against Barnsley, who were involved in a scary incident over the weekend when their team coach burst into flames on the motorway.

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