100% passing accuracy, 3/3 ground duels: 28-touch Man Utd man shows enough vs City to earn Chelsea start

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo provided a lively cameo during the 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Many had tipped Mainoo to start alongside Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte, with Bruno Fernandes shifting forward to cover for the injured Matheus Cunha.

However, manager Ruben Amorim stuck to his guns, deploying Ugarte and Fernandes as the central pairing.

Mainoo was left on the bench for a fourth successive league game, sparking further debate about Amorim’s selection.

The United academy graduate was sent on in the 62nd minute for Noussair Mazraoui.

He did not make a serious case for himself, but he still outperformed Ugarte and Fernandes.

The young star managed 26 touches and completed all 18 of his passes, including two key passes.

He also won three out of three ground duels and chipped in with two tackles, showing his bite off the ball.

One moment stood out when he slipped the ball through Nico’s legs at the halfway line and drove forward with intent.

However, he chose to play a simple pass to Patrick Dorgu instead of sliding a through ball to Joshua Zirkzee in the middle.

Amorim is both right and wrong about the 20-year-old.

The Portuguese head coach detailed why Mainoo needs to refine his skills to be a better number six/eight.

He demanded that Mainoo increase his pace and improve his positional awareness when playing in those roles.

While far from the finished article, the prodigy already looks a step above Ugarte and Casemiro in this broken midfield.

Better late than never. Amorim must finally bring Mainoo into the starting XI against Chelsea next weekend.

Stats from Sofascore.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .