Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United have an "amazing talent" on their hands
by Mark Brus · CaughtOffsideManchester United players lining up (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has spoken out on the “amazing talent” of Kobbie Mainoo, who he brought into the first-team when he was in charge at Old Trafford.
Even if Ten Hag didn’t win over a lot of Man Utd fans during his reign between summer 2022 and October 2024, one thing he did well was bringing young players like Mainoo into the team.
The England international has gone on to become a key player for the Red Devils, and he’ll surely continue to play an important role in the team for many years to come.
Mainoo’s talent was seemingly quite obvious from early on, with Ten Hag noticing how good he looked at youth level before deciding to promote him to the senior side.
Erik ten Hag on discovering and promoting Kobbie Mainoo
Speaking to the Athletic, Ten Hag explained how he came to bring Mainoo up into the United first-team.
“The first time I saw him, playing for the second team, I thought, ‘OK, he’s an amazing talent’,” the Dutchman said.
“But he was too easy. I saw that we needed him to get in a higher intensity. We started to bring him in drills where we challenged him on dynamics.”
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United fans will be glad to hear that Ten Hag rates Mainoo so highly, as it suggests the club still hasn’t even seen the best of the 21-year-old.
Ten Hag recognising Mainoo’s potential and giving him the chance to play could end up being crucial in his career as he looks to continue his development under current manager Michael Carrick.
There was a period of time when Mainoo struggled for playing time under Ten Hag’s successor Ruben Amorim, so it just goes to show that not every manager will be brave enough to gamble on young talents like this.
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