After a World Cup summer defined by frustration rather than fulfilment, Kobbie Mainoo has quickly re-established himself as a central figure for Manchester United ahead of Sunday's derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford.
The 21-year-old midfielder did not play a single minute for England at the tournament, remaining an unused substitute throughout the run to the semi-final defeat against Argentina before being left out of the squad entirely for the third-place playoff against France because of what the Football Association described as an unspecified injury. Thomas Tuchel consistently preferred alternatives in the deeper midfield roles, including Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Reece James, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers and Nico O'Reilly.
That prolonged spell on the periphery, combined with the physical and mental toll of a long tournament, meant Mainoo reported late for United's pre-season. He managed only the final half hour of a friendly against Milan and started the new league campaign as a substitute at Hull, entering with United already 2-0 down in a match that ended in defeat.
Since then, however, Mainoo has been a standout performer in each of United's subsequent fixtures against Ipswich, Everton and Sabah in the Champions League, the latter a 4-0 win on Thursday night. Over those three matches he completed 201 of 211 attempted passes, a mark of remarkable reliability given how often he is involved in build-up play and the risks he regularly takes on the ball. He also registered a game-high 15 defensive contributions in the matches against Ipswich and Everton, underlining growing improvement in his work off the ball.
This rise comes despite United investing roughly £155m in midfield reinforcements over the summer, bringing in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba, the latter yet to feature because of injury. Rather than being squeezed out, Mainoo has reasserted his importance to the side under manager Michael Carrick.
It is not the first time Mainoo has had to fight his way back into contention. Previous manager Ruben Amorim was unable to accommodate him within a 3-4-2-1 formation, reportedly due to concerns over his defensive game, and Mainoo did not start a single Premier League match under Amorim last season. His revival began under Carrick in January, in the same derby fixture he now prepares for again, when United beat City 2-0 at Old Trafford in Carrick's first match back in interim charge. Mainoo's strong form after that game helped fuel a run to third place in the league and ultimately convinced Tuchel to include him in England's World Cup squad, even though he never featured.
Carrick has spoken about wanting his side to build through central areas with quick, close combinations. "It was nice to get Mason on in the second half and Andrey Santos [for Mainoo] and keep seeing the same things," he said, referring to a second-half substitution against Sabah. "It's the combinations and connections. Taking the ball and playing close together at times. We have the technical ability for the boys to take the ball in the middle of the pitch. A lot of it is on wavelength and understanding … where each of them want the ball, which we are developing. It's probably something that we've done a bit more of this season."
For Sunday's derby, Carrick is expected to deploy Mainoo alongside Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes in central midfield, opposing a City trio likely to include Anderson — whose £116m move from Nottingham Forest in July was seen as a coup for City after United had also shown interest — along with Enzo Fernández and Rayan Cherki. That midfield battle is widely expected to shape the outcome of the match.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.