Luke Shaw poured praise on Kobbie Mainoo after the youngster’s ‘phenomenal’ display against Ipswich Town yesterday.
Manchester United secured their first win of 2026/2027 in emphatic fashion by defeating the newly-promoted Tractor Boys 5-2 at Old Trafford.
How did Mainoo fare vs Ipswich?
Mainoo made his maiden start of the term after being limited to an off-the-bench cameo in the opening-day defeat to Hull City.
Michael Carrick was keen to restore the youngster to his rightful spot in the starting XI this time around, and opted to deploy Mainoo alongside the experienced Youri Tielemans – rather than 22-year-old Andrey Santos.
United’s No.37 played 80 minutes of the contest and recorded the most defensive contributions (14) and the most dribbles (four) of any player on the pitch, according to Fotmob.
His defensive efforts included nine recoveries, three tackles and two interceptions.
What’s more, Mainoo completed a remarkable six final-third passes and 13 line-breaking passes, while also winning nine ground duels and two fouls.
What Shaw had to say about Mainoo
It goes without saying that it’s the kind of showing that should cement the youngster’s starting place for the foreseeable future, even with Mainoo now facing stern competition in midfield following the arrivals of Santos, Tielemans and Carlos Baleba.
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Bruno Fernandes being back to his usual scintillating self and scoring a hat-trick meant that he claimed the Player of the Match award along with the match ball.
However, if it were up to Shaw, he’d have had his compatriot reaping the accolades post-match.
The full-back said (as per UtdDistrict): “I would like to speak about Kobbie. I think today he was world-class – so, so good [in] the way he controlled the game and drove us forward.
“I would put Mainoo down for Man of the Match. He is so young, and it’s such a joy to see him growing. For me, he was phenomenal today. A real leader in the middle.”
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