Forget Bruno: Kobbie Mainoo Is Now Undroppable for Man Utd

· GiveMeSport

Forget Bruno Fernandes, Man Utd now have another star who is the first name on the teamsheet under Michael Carrick.

Manchester United started their Champions League campaign in picture-perfect fashion with a dominant 4-0 win over Sabah on Thursday night at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick's side took the lead on 26 minutes thanks to a fine goal by Matheus Cunha, before Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko added to the score before half-time. Lisandro Martinez added a fourth in the second half, as the Red Devils claimed their first clean sheet of the season ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend.

The team's overall performance was excellent, with them keeping possession brilliantly, creating plenty of chances, and looking threatening throughout. Captain Fernandes once again took the plaudits for the performance, while Patrick Dorgu picked up the man of the match award, but it was Kobbie Mainoo who stood out above everyone else as the best player on the pitch.

There was plenty of debate about Mainoo's future at Old Trafford a year ago, with Ruben Amorim completely sidelining him and almost refusing to use him despite the clear struggles of the team in midfield.

Carrick's arrival saw a resurgence in his form in the second half of the campaign, earning him a recall to the England squad for the World Cup. However, Thomas Tuchel didn't use Mainoo for a single minute in the tournament, despite the Three Lions finishing third.

Man Utd then completed an overhaul of their midfield this summer with Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, and Carlos Baleba joining the side, and Mason Mount being repositioned to a deeper role during pre-season.

But while Mainoo was only fit enough to be a substitute in the opening game of the season against Hull City, he has now firmly established himself as the first name on the teamsheet in midfield with his performances ever since.

The England star turned in a world-class performance against Sabah for 63 minutes before being substituted and replaced by Andrey Santos, completing 81 passes, the most for an Englishman since Carrick's own performance against Olympiacos back in 2014. He was so good, in fact, that ESPN handed him a stunning 10/10 rating for the game.

The 21-year-old has silenced all the doubters around him, and there is no doubting now that the team should be build around him in the coming years.

There are many similarities between the way Mainoo plays and the way Carrick played during his career, and it shows with how the manager speaks about his star midfielder.

After the win over Sabah, Carrick praised Mainoo's quality, and called him a 'joy to have'.

> "He's a fantastic player, Kobbie, I think it's pretty obvious to see, you know," he said.

> "The way he's performing, playing that little bit deeper, really, and connecting the attacks, starting the attacks. Having a massive influence on our games, you know. > > "He's a real joy to have - he wants to learn, he wants to improve, he wants to listen - and he expresses himself on the pitch. It's great to see."

Despite a major summer rebuild in midfield, Man Utd's best midfielder is someone who was already at the club, and INEOS were ready to sell for just £40m 12 months ago.

Mainoo is undroppable and indispensable for the Reds, even considering the attacking talent within the squad, it's even more so than captain Bruno Fernandes.

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