“Creatively outstanding” — Ten Hag hands 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo Man Utd debut in EFL Cup win over Charlton
Manchester United have advanced to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup after beating Charlton Athletic 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Antony’s 21st-minute strike and a late brace from Marcus Rashford separated the two sides, who sit 52 places from each other in the English football pyramid — a disparity which was ultimately reflected in the scoreline. Erik ten Hag will certainly have been delighted with the way his rotated side acquitted themselves in what could have been a potential slip-up.
Despite the deep stage of the competition, Ten Hag had few inhibitions ringing the changes against the League One outfit. Among those drafted in to get the job done against The Addicks were Tom Heaton, Harry Maguire and… 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who made his professional debut on the night.
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Born in Stockport, a stone’s throw from Old Trafford, the local lad has already featured on the bench in the Premier League for Ten Hag’s side, but tonight he was handed a baptism of fire against a Charlton side who had already claimed the scalp of another Premier League club in Brighton earlier in the competition.
Dean Holden’s men were well-drilled, but Mainoo applied his talents to the stage well. It wasn’t quite an exhibition of swashbuckling brilliance from the ambipedal tyro, but there were flashes of quality and fleeting moments of creative zip that will give Ten Hag promise for the future.
Prior to the match, Ten Hag told MUTV: “The most important thing is to win this game and get into the next round. We want to get into the semi-finals, so it’s a big game.
“For him [Mainoo] it’s a great opportunity, he did very well during the winter camp in Spain. He also did very well against Everton in a friendly. He deserved to play, so I’m happy to give him the opportunity – it’s about deserving it. He has to [be ready].”
Described on Man Utd’s official website as “creatively outstanding”, fans will be hoping the teenager can rise to prominence and emulate his academy predecessors who have gone on to make a tangible impression on the Red Devil first team — not least current stars Rashford, Anthony Elanga and Scott McTominay.
Talent has been thick on the ground at Old Trafford over the years, fecund soil for developing rising stars, and in Ten Hag, the club have a manager who has cultivated a reputation for blooding in and nurturing young talent — a sentiment reinforced by Alejandro Garnacho’s recent rise to prominence, and now Mainoo’s debut.
A full professional debut Kobbie Mainoo tonight as he starts for Manchester United.
He was born in 2005. 😳 pic.twitter.com/pjjw2larz8
— Play Squawka Selector for Free (@Squawka_Live) January 10, 2023
In the end, it was the regulars who delivered for Ten Hag and Man Utd, with Rashford continuing his post-World Cup purple patch, and Antony producing yet another Arjen Robben tribute act, with a sublime curling effort.
But, the combination of a new academy jewel getting his name in the headlines, coupled with a manager who has shown he has no aversions to trusting the club’s younger ranks, has provided the biggest positive from a job well done on the night.
In the night’s other match, Newcastle United booked their place in a domestic cup semi-final for the first time in nearly two decades. Eddie Howe’s men took Leicester City apart 2-0, with Dan Burn netting his first goal for the club, and Joelinton sealing the deal 20 minutes from time.
Newcastle United have made the semi-finals of a domestic cup for the first time since 2004/05.
These Magpies are MARVELLOUS. ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/klx8eTItCC
— Squawka (@Squawka) January 10, 2023
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