This time last year, Kobbie Mainoo had become Manchester United‘s forgotten man.
He had broken into the team in some style under Erik ten Hag and forced his way into England‘s Euro 2024 squad, but by the time Ruben Amorim left the club in January 2026, he was a bit-part player. He made just 10 Premier League appearances under Amorim in 2025/26, all of them from the bench, totalling 211 minutes.
When his brother was spotted in the stands at Old Trafford wearing a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt, he spoke for a lot of exasperated United fans.
Fast forward to Fulham last month, and supporters were once again unhappy with a manager’s treatment of Mainoo, albeit in entirely different circumstances.
When Michael Carrick took him off with United trailing 1-0, the away end booed the decision. The Red Devils did snatch a late equaliser through a deflected Matheus Cunha effort, but the travelling support had made their point.
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League-leading recovery numbers
In a sub-par start to the season for United, Mainoo has been the standout performer. He has improved on last season in nearly every key metric, and no outfield player in the Premier League has won the ball back more often than his 40 recoveries. His rate of 10.08 per 90 minutes is almost double what he managed last term.
Not only is that 10.08 comfortably clear of the next-best in the league, Newcastle United‘s Lewis Hall with 7.62 recoveries per 90, it’s also currently higher than the rate of last season’s leader in this stat, Elliot Anderson.
No player has won the ball back for his team in the middle third more often than Mainoo this season with 22 and that bite in midfield was expected to be missing following the loss of Casemiro this summer, with the Brazilian having moved to Major League Soccer to join Inter Miami. The 21-year-old Mainoo though, has shown a maturity beyond his years to step up and replace such an established player despite the struggles he faced in being out of the team last year.
With 59% of his duels won so far this term (only nine Premier League midfielders can better that), he’s becoming a nuisance for opposing Premier League midfielders. Nine of those duels were won in the 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town on August 30th – United’s only Premier League win so far this term.
Security and progression with the ball
But it’s not just the ball-winning that’s improved under Carrick. Unsurprisingly given the Manchester United manager’s reputation for in-possession control during his playing days, he’s managed to improve Mainoo’s passing numbers too.
The aforementioned Anderson is the only midfielder in the Premier League to have managed more accurate passes per 90 than Mainoo’s 70.1 so far this season and it’s not just the volume of passes that’s been impressive.
The 21 year old is at 93.9% pass accuracy so far this season, up 4.5 percentage points from his numbers under Carrick last term and among the very best in the league. He’s even dribbling better – managing 2.52 successful dribbles per 90 compared to 0.88 last season under Carrick.
Carrick has pushed him back slightly into a role reminiscent of his own at Old Trafford and Mainoo is reaping the benefits. His ability to take the ball on the turn, find a pass and progress his team up the pitch has been vital – it’s the more experienced players around him that have been the issue.
In hiring a manager who once played for the club, United clearly are looking to tap into the historically successful principles of the club and Carrick to his credit has looked to achieve that this season. He’s asked his team to press higher up the pitch, dominate possession and put the opposition on the back foot as quickly as possible.
While these subtle changes may not have worked perfectly so far, it certainly suits Kobbie Mainoo’s game.
Adding a creative edge
In some senses, pairing the more risky Youri Tielemans with Mainoo in the double pivot is proving effective. Carrick has praised the understanding that the two midfielders have already built and and the Belgian is getting the ball into the opposition box three times as often as Mainoo. However, there’s still a creative edge that’s lacking in this midfield at what’s still an early stage for the partnership.
While Tielemans’ ball-winning numbers pale in comparison to his partner’s, he is leading the league for successful passes into the final third per 90 minutes and is managing more forward passes and touches in the box than Mainoo. The ex-Aston Villa man has also looked more likely to threaten the scoresheet, hitting the target at least with three of his seven shots while all six of Mainoo’s attempts so far this term haven’t troubled the goalkeeper – although one did hit the post against Manchester City.
The only assist either of the central midfielders has managed so far came via Mainoo – although Bryan Mbeumo‘s goal in the 2-2 draw at Everton was far more about the individual skill of the Cameroonian than it was the pass from the England international. They’ve failed to create a single big chance as a duo, too.
It’ll take time for everything to truly click into gear though. While signs are positive and Mainoo’s individual form has been mightily impressive, Carrick needs to find a way to get more creativity from the duo in the coming weeks. If so, he’ll hope it doesn’t come at the expense of the control and solidity that the young midfielder has shown in his mature performances at the heart of the Red Devils’ midfield so far this season.