"I love being on the ball. Maybe playing futsal I was always comfortable taking it in tight areas." Kobbie Mainoo
Manchester United and England midfielder opens up.
Andre Onana had the ball in his hands against Brentford on March 30 and was considering which of Manchester United’s deep-lying players to release it to, building a move. Onana’s options were limited by Ivan Toney to his right and Yoanne Wissa to his left, blocking potential paths. So United’s keeper rolled the ball between them to Kobbie Mainoo, who had dropped back, making himself available.
Mainoo was closely marked by Yegor Yarmolyuk, the Brentford midfield player, but the United teenager took the ball on the half-turn and sped away from his marker. Mainoo actually did not have the best of games that day at the Gtech, certainly not by his impressive standards, but he remained focused on his role, and true to his principles. “I love being on the ball,” he says, “maybe playing futsal I was always comfortable taking it in tight areas and I like to turn and go forward with it.”
This composure was evident when he faced the media at Schloss Blankenhain after England training today. Nothing fazed Mainoo whether answering questions about his manager Erik ten Hag staying at United (delighted) to Uefa looking into allegations that Serbian fans had racially abused England’s black players (leaving it to the authorities to investigate).
Such balance is his character and also that futsal background. “I played futsal locally,” he adds. He played for Manchester Futsal and the positional awareness helped him in his rise through United’s academy. Mainoo comes from Stockport and credits grass-roots clubs in his development: Cheadle & Gatley when he was four, Failsworth Dynamos at six and also playing at Shots in Handforth near to Wilmslow. The FA celebrates the England players’ journeys by giving players pictures with reminders of their first club, Cheadle & Gatley in Mainoo’s case.