Bruno Fernandes has revealed that he knew the name of Kobbie Mainoo two years ago as the teenager continues his special rise in the team.
In what was a rather bizarre encounter in the Midlands, Manchester United eventually won 4-3 but the Red Devils were 2-0 and 3-1 up in Birmingham. Pedro Neto’s brilliant goal late on brought the scores level at 3-3.
Things looked bleak for Erik ten Hag, in particular, as the Dutchman would have been preparing for the media-feeding frenzy that would have followed had they failed to win the game.
A moment of brilliance from Kobbie Mainoo, however, has ended any talk of that and the Dutchman will be thanking the teenager for rescuing the game.
Fernandes on Mainoo
Speaking to TNT Sports after the frantic game at Molineux, United captain Bruno Fernandes was alongside Mainoo and the question put to him was just how good can this teenage star be.
“He is a big talent,” Fernandes said. “I have seen him play for the under-18s and I said a couple of years ago the name of Kobbie without knowing if he would come and play for the first team.”
When asked for his thoughts on the praise from Fernandes, Mainoo said: “He’s a role model and a special player to look up to.”
The teenager has been consistently brilliant in the middle of the park and he is simply undroppable and all of the fans who were excited about the midfielder during pre-season have been proven right once and for all.
Mainoo’s season of promise
Dating back to last season, there always seemed to be a plan for the teenager with Ten Hag putting his arm around Mainoo after the Carabao Cup victory against Newcastle United.
He is now firmly part of the first team plans which may well be a surprise to some but certainly not a surprise to the majority of the fanbase. Perhaps fans didn’t expect Mainoo to break through this quickly but he has done so superbly.
With the team struggling around him, his breakthrough has been all the more impressive and he is going from strength to strength in the engine room for the Red Devils.