Kobbie Mainoo is being tipped for a bright future at by club legends Bryan Robson and Dennis Irwin.
The 18-year-old midfielder made his first team debut last season under , making three appearances, including one outing in the .
It looks like there will be more opportunities to come after impressing in a last week in , a performance and iconic Red Devils players alike.
Speaking to , former United captain Robson said: ‘He’s calculated and he’s reading the game, doing things in his own time.
‘He closes down really well, receives the ball and changes the pattern of the game, quickens it up when he wants to and he’s using his football brain. I’m quite impressed with him.’
Manchester United beat Arsenal 2-0 in the friendly contest, and speaking to MUTV after the match, former Red Devils left-back Irwin said of Mainoo: ‘He’s had a fantastic game Kobbie. Brave, good on the ball.
‘It’s not just the assist, the defensive work as well. He’s got confidence, he looks a real top player. What I’ve seen from Mainoo, what the manager’s seen in training and matches, he must trust him.’
Ten Hag certainly sounds like a big fan of the teenager born in Stockport, and while he urges patience, it sounds like the Dutchman will be giving Mainoo more chances to shine.
‘It’s fantastic. Manchester United are famous for always bringing young players through and he can be one, but we have to see,’ Ten Hag said of Mainoo. ‘We have confidence, he’s playing with confidence and I really liked his performance.
‘He showed it, then in the spring he got injured, so we’re really happy there are more youngsters with us now and they’re all doing very good, but I don’t want to rise expectations too high.
‘We have to see, the Premier League is tough, but definitely, you can see, we have some really good young players who can play a role in our squad. But the bar is high.’
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