The rise of Kobbie Mainoo at Man Utd and why Chelsea sale would be catastrophic mistake

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford – but should they decide to cash in on the 19-year-old?

He has been linked with a surprise move to Chelsea in recent weeks amid a continuing stand-off over his proposed contract extension.

Some reports have suggested that the England international now wants a salary of £200,000-per-week but TEAMtalk understands that this is not the case.

We’ve taken a look at Mainoo’s rapid rise and establishment in the Man Utd first team – and why it would be a huge loss if he was to be taken out of it and sent to a Premier League rival.

Mainoo’s meteoric rise

Hailing from Stockport, Mainoo was earmarked as a future star during his time in United’s academy and helped the Under-18s win the FA Youth Cup in 2021/22.

He also won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2022/23, following in the footsteps of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Marcus Rashford.

The midfielder made his first-team debut for United in a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Charlton Athletic in January 2023.

He made his Premier League a few weeks later at the age of 17 years and 306 days, making him the seventh-youngest United player to feature in the competition.

An unfortunate injury in a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid disrupted his progress, but he made his full Premier League debut against Everton in November 2023.

He’s since become a key player for United and has produced several impressive performances, including a man-of-the-match display in the 2023/24 FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

The 19-year-old also established himself in the England side, starting all four knockout matches at Euro 2024 as they progressed to a major tournament final on foreign soil for the first time.

Mainoo is now the fifth youngest player to play in a major international tournament final, behind Lamine Yamal, Pele, Giuseppe Bergomi and Renato Sanches.

His displays didn’t go unnoticed as he finished third in the vote for the 2024 Golden Boy award and was also shortlisted for both the PFA Young Player of the Year and Premier League Young Player of the Season awards.

YOU COULDN’T WRITE IT 🤯

Academy graduate, Kobbie Mainoo scores in the #EmiratesFACup Final for @ManUtd 😱 pic.twitter.com/d68cAKvaE8

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 25, 2024

Mainoo’s strengths

Mainoo possesses a range of attributes that make him one of the most highly regarded young footballers in the world.

The United academy graduate has remained level-headed throughout his meteoric rise and plays with the sort of composure and maturity that is rare with players of his age.

His temperament, unflappable nature and technical ability make him one of the most press-resistant players in Ruben Amorim’s squad.

He is able to drop deep and demand the ball from his centre-backs and United have often struggled to produce a midfielder in that mould.

But his dribbling skills and ability to wriggle out of tight spaces with the ball at his feet are arguably his most eye-catching attributes.

According to FBref, United’s no.37 ranks in the 98th percentile compared to his positional peers in the top-five European leagues for successful take-ons per 90 minutes.

He can also be a threat in the final third and became just the second teenage midfielder to score three or more Premier League goals for United in a single season.

Mainoo finished his breakthrough season with six goals in all competitions, including the winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Admittedly, he is far from the finished product and still has areas to improve but that is to be expected from a 19-year-old who has less than 50 Premier League appearances under his belt.

What people are saying

– “You see the stuff he is doing, I played in that position, but he’s doing stuff that probably took me 10 years to learn,” Roy Keane said at Euro 2024.

– “You think of Toni Kroos with Germany, he just makes them play football,” Paul Scholes said. “Rodri with Man City and Spain. I think Kobbie Mainoo has got the ability to do that.”

– “He’s a fantastic player,” Gary Neville said. “To come into Manchester United’s team at any time is really difficult and he’s come in at one of the most difficult times in the club’s recent history and he’s just stood out as someone whose temperament and composure is off the scale.”

“It looks like he’s got the world at his feet for the next 10 years.”

– “[He’s] very calm and I know there’s a lot talked about him,” Wes Brown said. “But to me, I think he plays like Clarence Seedorf.

“Even the way he runs, the way he takes the ball, shields the ball. I played against Clarence a few times and he was absolutely quality, big, strong, did his job perfectly and had the calmness as well to play for a big team, in big games. I would say Clarence Seedorf.”

– “Mainoo has been fantastic,” Nemanja Vidic said. “Especially his awareness. He reminds me sometimes of [Luka] Modric.”

– “I think he’s incredible for such a young age, with the maturity he’s shown,” Wayne Rooney said. “When you see any young players come into the first team they’re normally a bit raw or play off the cuff.

“He reminds me of a young Bastian Schweinsteiger with how he plays, and he always seems to make the right decisions. He has a very bright future.”

– “I think we have a complete player in Kobbie – aggressive, looks after the ball, a player who wants the ball,” Casemiro said.

“I would say that if Kobbie continues the way he’s going with this mentality, continues training hard and doing things right, Manchester United have a great player for the next 15 years.”

– “He plays without fear, and this is what I love about him,” Cesc Fabregas said. “He just wants the ball, wants to make things happen.

“I always talk about the attitude and the personality; this is what makes a really, really good player in the difficult moments and he’s showing that. Hopefully, he can go all the way, because it would be great for football.”

– “He reminds me of a young me,” Seedorf said. “With his body and movement, but the thing that he has that I never did is his maturity on the ball at such a young age, [the] sky is the limit for him.”

Mainoo’s long-term future

Since becoming co-owner of United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been focused on cutting costs and balancing the books at Old Trafford.

United made a net loss of £113.2million for the 2023/24 financial year and they now need to raise funds before they can sign new players.

As far as Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) are concerned, selling Mainoo to Chelsea would make a lot of financial sense for United.

Players developed from the academy are treated as 100% profit on the balance sheet, making them particularly lucrative assets.

But United would live to regret letting a precocious talent slip through their fingers and seeing him excel at Stamford Bridge would undoubtedly be a tough pill to swallow.

Mainoo has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in Europe and Amorim should be looking to build his United team around the 19-year-old.

“My players are always my favourites, I really love my players and I want to keep them, especially the talented ones,” Amorim said. “I’m really happy with Kobbie – he is improving.

“Our idea is always to keep the best players. We know the position that the club is in this moment. I’m very happy and I really like our players, especially the guys from the academy.”

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…