Kobbie Mainoo must add physicality to ensure long-term success under Ruben Amorim | OneFootball

Manchester United fans started the month with the depressing realisation that the club could only buy if it was prepared to sell and this rule extended to almost everyone in the squad.

It has been reliably reported that even academy sensation Kobbie Mainoo was not safe from a potential sale should an attractive offer arrive.

In this context, Chelsea have been linked to a move for the player, in what will be of grave concern to United fans.

Mainoo was one of the few shining lights of last season from his majestic debut at Everton, to his wonder strikes against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool.

The 19 year old also capped off the season with a crucial goal in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

Nonetheless, this season has not been plain sailing for the academy product as injury at the start of the season and growing pains with Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation have presented certain obstacles to his progress.

The Athletic have taken a deep dive into the player’s style of play and what he can offer the club moving forward.

Mason Mount’s injury hell and Casemiro and Christian Eriksen’s lack of dynamism have thrust Mainoo into the limelight as Manuel Ugarte’s main partner in the centre of Amorim’s midfield.

The 19 year old’s strengths lie in his technical ability and capacity to collect the ball from the defensive line and build up play accordingly, as he so often did last season under Erik ten Hag.

“The player Mainoo is right now is a technically secure ball carrier, capable of doing a little bit of everything. The player Mainoo might become will owe a debt to his physical development and what the team around him require.”

“Mainoo’s technical ability and tidiness when in possession make him a different sort of midfield threat compared with many in the league” and his sensible passing comes in very handy for a team that can still be guilty of the chaosball seen under Ten Hag.

Nonetheless, the truth about modern football is that tall, physical specimens are very much in fashion at the moment in the Premier League.

This is where Mainoo breaks the mould as whilst he is certainly not short or lacking in strength, they don’t characterise his style of play.

“Mainoo is an above-average defender when looking at Premier League midfielders but his defensive totals are good enough for a 19-year-old still at the beginning of his senior career.”

He is in the 77th percentile of dribblers tackled and 74th percentile of interceptions. Yet he is only in the 41st percentile for aerial duels won and has also struggled with ball recoveries, as he is in the 48th percentile.

Therefore, his statistics are good but nothing special in the physical side of the game and this has been a constant theme of the rare amount of criticism which he has faced in his short career to date.

Gary Neville claimed that he was more like a Manchester City player than United with his small frame and technical capacity but if he is to survive in an Amorim system, it is something he will need to improve upon.

Another potential issue previously mentioned is that Mainoo excels at collecting the ball off the defenders and threading balls through the lines but in Amorim’s system, which has three central defenders, it is not so necessary.

The Portuguese prefers his midfielders to be “robust duellers” out of possession, such as Manuel Ugarte, who completes an incredibly high amount of duels across the pitch in every match he plays in.

The big question then is “how can Mainoo thrive in the Premier League when he is unlikely to be the biggest, fastest, or strongest midfielder in most matches? Chances are he will instead look to become one of the smartest and most consistent.”

What is crucial is that United do not sell the academy gem and give him the time to adapt his game.

His rapid rise at club and international level show that he has the ability to face controversy and adapt himself to the big occasion.

Whilst he may never become the physical dueller that Amorim demands, he has too much talent and shown too much maturity to claim that he cannot get something closer to what the Portuguese coach demands.

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