Man Utd star ‘came of age’ against Chelsea and Carrick is now all in | OneFootball

A prominent reporter who covers Manchester United believes a Red Devils star came of age in the hard-fought victory over Chelsea on Saturday, and the post-match comments from Michael Carrick suggest he’s all in on the player.

Man Utd took a giant stride towards securing Champions League qualification last night. Fifth spot will once again be good enough to grace next year’s UCL, and after defeating the Blues at Stamford Bridge, United hold a gigantic 10-point lead over sixth-placed Chelsea with just five matches remaining.

Matheus Cunha scored with United’s only shot on target, though why United only required one goal to win the game was thanks in no small part to Kobbie Mainoo.

The all-action midfielder played the full 90 minutes, completed 50 of 55 passes, made three tackles, one block, three interceptions, five ball recoveries, and won three ground duels.

It was a display in central midfield that certainly caught the eye of interim boss Carrick.

“That was the best Kobbie has played since I’ve been back here,” said Carrick post-match. “To step up and show those sides to his game, he looked so composed and so calm.

“It was a good battle between him and Cole Palmer, and he showed good composure.”

Our colleagues over on TEAMtalk recently revealed Mainoo is on the cusp of signing a new and improved contract at Old Trafford.

His new deal will run until 2031, and finalising a fresh agreement became a priority among United chiefs very shortly after Carrick took charge.

It is Carrick who has revitalised Mainoo and the midfielder’s turnaround in fortunes is almost complete mere months after he looked on course to request a loan exit for the second straight transfer window.

And according to the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler – who specialises in covering Man Utd – Mainoo ‘came of age’ on Saturday night.

‘As [Alejandro] Garnacho was going through the mill on Saturday night, it was notable to see the other United academy star who could easily have ended up moving to Stamford Bridge shining in a red shirt,’ began Wheeler.

‘It’s 15 months since Daily Mail Sport revealed that Kobbie Mainoo and Garnacho could be sold to meet financial fair rules, and Chelsea were at the front of the queue for Mainoo.

‘More recently, Napoli emerged as a serious option after the England international, like Garnacho, fell out of favour with [Ruben] Amorim.

‘But Mainoo – who turned 21 on Sunday (today) – has been excellent since he came in from the cold under Michael Carrick, and this was arguably his best game yet despite having hardly trained since missing the defeat to Leeds on Monday.

‘That game in itself showed just how much United miss him.’