Manchester United fans must have breathed a sigh of relief when the Manchester Derby lineup was announced.
Not because they continued in a 4-2-3-1 setup. Rather, in terms of personnel. Despite starting the 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat to Brighton, Kobbie Mainoo kept his place in midfield. The youngster partnered Casemiro at the base. It was his first league start of the season.
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Ruben Amorim, for one reason or another, opted to ostracise Mainoo. With a lack of domestic and continental competition, the 20-year-old was cast aside by the Portuguese boss. This was a player who’d been influential in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final. Amorim saw fit to pair Casemiro with Bruno Fernandes in his three-man backline.
4-2-3-1 system benefitted Mainoo and United
A back-to-basics 4-2-3-1 system has presented Mainoo with the perfect chance to reclaim his starting spot. He grabbed with the opportunity with both hands in a fine Manchester Derby display. Having flirted with the chance to leave his boyhood club in pursuit of regular game time elsewhere – Napoli were known admirers – the possibility of a January exit has quickly diminished.
In fact, the likelihood is that Mainoo has re-emerged as a first team regular under Michael Carrick. In Saturday’s lunchtime kick off, he dominated in the middle of the park. The likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Rodri barely got a sniff. The former was hauled off at the break for Rayan Cherki. Between the quartet, they created just two chances.
Admittedly, City dominated proceedings. Indeed, they managed a 68.2% possession share at Old Trafford. They did little with the ball, however. Despite 35 touches in the opposition box, they fashioned just one shot on target. City failed to create a big chance. Mainoo was a key reason behind their inability to break down this United rearguard.
Fernandes was the star man for the Red Devils yet it was Mainoo’s defensive diligence that enabled the United skipper to push forward and hurt City. The young midfielder made three tackles at Old Trafford, the joint-second most for Carrick’s side. No United player made more interceptions (2).
Mainoo’s defensive work allowed Fernandes to flourish
The notable reading of the game enabled the Manchester giants to quickly transition from defence to attack. United forged four chances following a counter-attack against City on Saturday. It was their most in a Premier League game since a 2-1 win at Luton in February 2024 (5).
Evidently, United’s aim was to spring forward quickly to catch City off guard. The Cityzens looked exhausted as they played their sixth game in the space of 17 days. Getting upfield at speed enabled United to carve City apart. Ensuring Fernandes saw as much of the ball as possible was key in that regard.
The Portugal international ranked top for both touches (65) and chances created (6) for United. Second for the former was Mainoo (51). In addition, Mainoo ranked joint-top for completed passes (32) while a pass accuracy of 91.4% was third of all United starters. The player Mainoo passed to most in the Manchester Derby? Fernandes, of course, doing so eight times. It was the highest player-to-player pass-return for United in the Manchester Derby.
Early days, of course, but Saturday’s game marked a positive return to the United side. That he was marginalised by Amorim speaks volumes of his managerial approach. Mainoo, ultimately, had the last laugh.
Too late for England push?
And as United now have ample time to prepare for their looming trip to Arsenal, the expectation will be that Mainoo keeps his place in the side. The Gunners, despite sitting seven points clear at the top of the table, have looked a little out of sorts in recent weeks. Cracks aren’t necessarily beginning to show but they haven’t looked as steadfast as they once did.
Should United leave the Emirates with a point, or three, then murmurs of an England return will undoubtedly start to do the rounds. The likelihood is that it is too little, too late for Mainoo to make the World Cup squad. However, with one final international break to go between now and the 2026 showpiece, a few more performances like that one fans witnessed in the Manchester Derby would certainly aid his cause.
Thomas Tuchel isn’t short of central midfield options, and Mainoo is behind Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton and Jordan Henderson in the pecking order. Yet, Tuchel called upon the uncapped Alex Scott for the November fixtures. There is clearly a spot for another midfielder in the squad.
The same can be said of Curtis Jones, Conor Gallagher and Morgan Gibbs-White. If Mainoo repeats his Manchester Derby showing over the coming weeks, however, then it’ll hard to overlook the United star. Baby steps, of course, but the return to the squad and showing at Old Trafford were ones in the right direction.
