Erik ten Hag has urged English football fans to ‘keep calm’ and allow Kobbie Mainoo to develop at his own pace after his man of the match display in Saturday’s FA Cup final triumph.
The teenager gave a midfield masterclass as United upset the odds and claimed a deserved 2-1 win in what looks likely to be Ten Hag’s final game in charge.
Mainoo’s performance was capped by what turned out to be the winning goal when his composed finish provided the perfect end to a flowing team move in the 39th minute.
The 19-year-old, who looks increasingly likely to be part of England’s squad at Euro 2024, was a calming presence in United’s engine room thereafter and displayed a level of composure that belied his relative lack of experience.
Asked after the game what the limit of Mainoo’s potential was by Alan Shearer, Ten Hag issued a pointed warning and said: ‘He was (great) it was really so enjoyable to watch Kobbie at his age.
‘He’s an example, we wanted to play him but then in pre-season the second game he got a bad injury and took him so long to get back.
‘I think we have to keep it calm. You are very good here in England to push players and managers very high and then to hammer them when they have one or two bad performances.’
Former United captain Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, was blown away by Mainoo’s maturity and also reserved praise for Alejandro Garnacho, another teenager, who opened the scoring after he capitalised on a mix-up between Josko Gvardiol and Stefan Ortega.
‘To come into the middle of the pitch and dominate the way Kobbie Mainoo has done for large portions of this season and to perform the way he did against this Manchester City team,’ said Rooney.
‘Them two [Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho] have been the stand out players for Manchester United this season. For them to be the matchwinners is great, I’m really pleased for them.’
Mainoo, himself, struggled to comprehend how far he has come in the space of 12 months given he was sat in the stands watching the final last year as United were beaten by a City ream who were on their way to claiming the treble.
‘[It means] absolutely everything,’ said Manoo. It’s been a tough season with ups and downs. This is the only thing we’ve had to look forward to. Last year I was in the stands.
‘We knew we had to come together. The preparation for this game has been amazing. We’ve shown we can compete and win games.’
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