Ten Hag ‘madly in love’ with Man Utd ace Mainoo as boss set to rip up rulebook

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly sold on wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo, with the youngster in line for game time during the season ahead. Such is the extent of Mainoo’s talent, Ten Hag is seemingly prepared to cast aside the traditional route into the first team and throw the teenager in at the deep end.

Mainoo made his competitive debut for the Red Devils back in January, and the teenager went on to make his Premier League bow just over a month later. Capped up to under-19 level with England, the midfield maestro is tipped for a bright future at the top level.

Ten Hag certainly seems to think so, with The Athletic reporting that the Dutchman ‘loves Mainoo to madness’ and has full trust in the youngster. At just 18 years old, the United academy product is said to be way ahead of schedule in terms of his development.

The normal route into the United first team for a player of Mainoo’s age would involve half a season with the under-21s before organising a loan spell with an EFL club to round off 2023/24.

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However, having impressed Ten Hag in training, the United boss is expected to rip up the rulebook and give him more responsibility in the first team, having formed part of the squad since the turn of the year.

Mainoo has reportedly put in extra hours over the course of the summer, with the aim of hitting the ground running in pre-season. His dedication appears to have paid off, as he put in an impressive performance in the 2-0 friendly win over Leeds United last week.

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“You never really know where these kids are going to end up,” United legend Andy Cole told the club’s official website. “But what they showed on Wednesday was a big, big positive. In the first half, the young central midfield player [Mainoo] was very good.

“I was speaking to someone who said if he hadn’t been injured, he might have played a few games at the back end of last season. I was looking at him the other day and I was thinking to myself, ‘I can see why’. He looked a really good player.”

Mainoo’s prospects of game time in the United midfield are boosted by the age profiles of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen – both of whom are beyond their 30th birthdays.

The fans would surely rejoice in a more prominent role for the 18-year-old in the upcoming campaign, having been born just over 10 miles from Old Trafford and joined the club’s academy at the age of nine.

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