Harry Maguire tips Kobbie Mainoo to become Man Utd’s midfield ‘MONSTER’ after Michael Carrick praises ‘immense’ star

HARRY MAGUIRE insists Kobbie Mainoo is evolving into a true midfield “monster” under the watchful eye of Michael Carrick. Mainoo pulled the strings alongside hat-trick hero Bruno Fernandes, as Manchester United came from behind to seal a 5-2 victory over Prem newsboys Ipswich Town. Harry Maguire nsists Kobbie Mainoo is evolving into a monster’ under the watchful eye of Michael Carrick Credit: EPA Maguire praised Mainoo’s rapid growth under Carrick, highlighting an impressive bounce-back after a frustrating World Cup where he failed to see a single minute on the pitch Credit: Getty The 21-year-old was unplayable—drawing fouls, winning duels, dictating the tempo, and slicing open the defence with line-breaking passes. Maguire praised Mainoo’s rapid growth under Carrick, highlighting an impressive bounce-back after a frustrating World Cup where he failed to see a single minute on the pitch. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! Maguire said: “He was brilliant, Kobbie. To think he hasn’t played for I don’t know how long and [didn’t] really get many minutes in pre-season. He was magnificent. “He put a great shift in and his work without the ball has improved so much since Michael’s been in. “That’s credit to Michael and his staff. But without the ball now, he’s becoming a real monster in there. “He wins a lot of second balls. He wins a lot of duels. You won’t want to play against him in there and that’s the biggest compliment I can give to him from playing and watching him behind.” Carrick later hailed Mainoo’s “immense” 80-minute showing, crediting the academy graduate, who signed a new five-year deal in April, with underpinning the hosts’ victory. Maguire added: “Kobbie’s so young, if we want him to play for this club for another ten years, there’s going to be times where he’s going to go through a patch. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK “He’s really level-headed, really composed, he has great belief in his ability and he’s going to be a magnificent player for this club for many, many years.” United spent £155m bringing in Andrey Santos, Tielemans, and newly unveiled Carlos Baleba, but Mainoo remains the heartbeat of their midfield revolution. Mainoo is one of the few United players with his own chant, which echoed through the Stretford End for much of Sunday’s rain-soaked second half. Fans serenaded him to the melody of Billy Ocean’s 1976 soul hit, ‘Love Really Hurts Without You.’ It goes to the beat of: “Mainoo, United can’t play without you, United can’t play without you, And it’s breaking my heart when you don’t start. Mainoo, United can’t play without you.” The anthem references Mainoo’s exile from the squad under former head coach Ruben Amorim, before he returned to the Prem line-up in January when Carrick took over. Mainoo and England teammate Marcus Rashford received a standing ovation when replaced with ten minutes left. Rashford delivered a lively performance as United fought back to avoid another embarrassing slip-up against a newly promoted side following the 2-0 Hull City debacle. Leif Davis’ volley put the Tractor Boys ahead on 29 minutes, before Fernandes’ hat-trick and Bryan Mbeumo‘s lob sealed the turnaround. Maguire said: “After last week there’s so much noise going about and it feels like you’re in a crisis after you’ve lost one game, but that’s playing for this club. “That’s what the new boys have got to get used to and conceding that first goal did set us back a little bit in the game. “For the next five to ten minutes we lost control of the game. We had to dig in and we had to get to half time without conceding another goal. “It’s not a crisis for us, but the outside makes it a crisis and tries to get inside to make it feel like a crisis. “The biggest thing when you play for this club is, when you win, don’t get too high and when you lose, don’t get too low, it’s so important for this club. “The new lads would have had a little bit of a shock over the last week if they’ve been reading anything or watching. But that’s part and parcel of playing for the club, everyone wants to speak about it and especially when we lose.” Back at Old Trafford for the first time in 21 months, Rashford put in an all-action display to all but confirm his commitment to the club before the transfer window slams shut at 11pm tomorrow. Maguire said: “He’s trained really well and us as players, if Marcus wants to be here, wants to work, wants to improve and wants to help the team, we’re willing to have him in the squad. Returning to Old Trafford for the first time in 21 months, Rashford put in a lively showing Credit: Alamy “He’s a great talent. You’ve seen that he’s always a threat. He was a threat constantly, and he could still do a lot more and he’ll say that he can do more. “If we keep him fit, we keep him happy, he keeps driven, keeps hungry, he is a great asset to have.” Quizzed if Rashford has returned with a point to prove, Maguire said: “You’ve got to remember that Marcus has had a wonderful career for this club. “When you play at this club for numerous years, there’s going to be bad seasons, and when the bad seasons come everyone piles on you. “Marcus was here for many years, and every season wasn’t going to be perfect because as a team and as a club, we haven’t been perfect from top to bottom and we haven’t been challenging at the top end. “Marcus has been part of a rough ride for Manchester United, and when that happens and the team doesn’t deliver, players get dug out. “He was one of them at that stage. I’ve been through it. Everyone’s been through it at this club. He’s come back really fit sharp and we’re excited to have him and hopefully he can chip in goals.” Comment now