Kobbie Mainoo and the Quest for Greatness
- Kobbie Mainoo Profile
- Mainoo’s Style of play
- Kobbie Mainoo’s Age, Weight, Height
- Kobbie Maino Injury
- Kobbie Maino’s Market Value
Kobbie Mainoo is currently one of the best young football players in the world. The English international broke into the limelight in the 2023/2024 football season when Erik Ten hang’s Manchester United squad battled several injury problems of their midfielders.
The teenage sensation was drafted into the first team from the B team by Erik Ten Hag to act as a buffer in United’s midfield when some first-team players battled injuries and loss of form.
Mainoo seized the opportunity to impress the manager and indeed many football lovers across the world to announce himself to the football world.
Since his debut, the prodigy has turned in several impressive performances both at club and national levels, making several sports pundits and fans alike tip him for greatness.
Kobbie has been compared to many great players such as the Manchester United legend, Paul Scholes and the Dutch international, Clarence Seedorf because of his dominant style of play.
His impressive display for Manchester United in his breakout season was too good to go unnoticed, as a result, the teenage sensation was rewarded with a call-up to the English National team that participated in the finals of Euro 2024 in Germany.
Mainoo’s appearance at the tournament made him one of the youngest players to represent England at a major tournament, following the footsteps of greats like, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney.
The young English international is tipped for greatness and many sports lovers think his potential is good enough to land him the Balon D’or in future.
Mainoo’s Style of Play
Mainoo plays possessive football, making sure his team keeps the ball as long as possible which gives opponents the opportunity to pose a threat to his team. The teenage sensation is also known to facilitate play for his teammates.
He loves to drop deep to get the ball from his defence line and play simple one-two passes with his midfielders while advancing to the opposition goal. He serves as a great link between the defence and attack.
His build and physique make him a handful to opponents who try to tackle the ball from him. Mainoo is excellent in guarding the ball with his body, he also has a keen sense of awareness of his surroundings.
See Also: Erik Ten Hag and The Sacked EPL Managers this Season (2024/2025)
All these qualities make it difficult for the opposition to get the ball from him. He rarely loses the ball to opponents which makes him a great asset in midfield to Manchester United and England.
Mainoo has a similar body to Seedorf. They are both physically well-crafted with large and bulging quadriceps. In his heydays, Seedorf likes to shield the ball with his body while preventing his opponents from the ball.
He also has many other great qualities like vision, shooting accuracy and a decent dribbling skillset. One of the pitfalls to his numerous great qualities was his lack of pace.
Nonetheless, the great Dutch international made up for his lack of pace with great vision and the ability to use his body as a shield when opponents caught up with him.
Seedorf would go on to win several trophies at club levels with Real Madrid and AC Milan, making him one of the most decorated Dutch internationals.
Just like Seedorf, Kobbie Mainoo is blessed with many football qualities but also lacks pace. This is why the comparison with the Dutch international is so rife. But it remains to be seen if the teenage sensation would go on to emulate the Dutch football great in terms of achievement.
Kobbie Mainoo Age, Weight and Height
Kobbie Maino age – The English international was born on 19th April 2005
Height – 175cm (1.75m)
Weight – 80kg (176.370lb)
Mainoo and Fears of Injury
As a young player who competes regularly with other established players who are physically well-built, Kobbie tends to exert much pressure on his body which makes him prone to injury.
Competing with bigger opponents in a physically demanding sport like football is no small task. This makes young players ask too much of themselves susceptible to injuries.
There are fears that the English International may sustain a career-shaping injury given his weight and style of play. The onus then lies on the manager to manage the player properly to avoid any long-term injury.
He has suffered his first career injury since making the advancement to first team and thankfully, it wasn’t a major injury. The bulky midfielder must learn to move more around on the pitch to so as not to be susceptible to injury.
Kobbie Mainoo’s Market Value
After the Euro tournament in 2024 where England finished as runners-up, Kobbie’s market value soared to as high as £100 million. He became one the hottest young stars along with Lamine Yamal and Cole Palmer.
But this season, the young star has appeared sparingly in the colours of Manchester United due to injury. His injury problem has seen him miss out on action at the beginning of the season.
This has made his market value drop to at least £60 million. Fans and well-wishers of the prodigy hand fist-tight, hoping the prospect would get his injury woes behind him and rediscover his form.
Kobbie Maino contract Situation
Kobbie is currently under contract with United until 2027 and the club is looking forward to extending the contract. Having graduated from the club’s academy, Maino is currently on a £20,000 per week salary.
The young star is believed to be seeking a significant increase in salary that would see him rank among the top earners in the Premiership.
He is believed to be seeking around £300,000 to extend his contract, a whopping 1500% increase in salary but United are believed to be reluctant to enter such an agreement.
Contract talks between the club and the young star have since cooled down as they try to salvage their season.
Koobie would have to rediscover his fine form to have high ground when the contract negotiation resumes. Another factor likely to influence the factor is the presence of Ruben Amorim.
United has a new coach and it remains to be seen if Maino fits into the system of the new coach.
