Manchester United's academy prodigy, due to his prized status, may become a midfield weakness next season! Any purchase to pair with him has flaws.

After Michael Carrick's coaching activated 20-year-old English midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, Manchester United almost eagerly renewed his contract. This is partly because the youngster possesses certain talent, having performed excellently in the FA Cup and European Cup finals, and partly due to his academy status. The Red Devils have always favored promoting academy players to starting roles, and now only Mainoo is available.

In Manchester United's Premier League registration list this season, the domestic players are Tom Heaton, Dermot Mee, Les Bennett, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, and Amad Diallo. United's best option would have been to sign two new starting midfielders, letting Mainoo serve as a substitute. However, when renewing his contract with a salary increase, the club promised to build around him as a core, making that approach impossible.

Mainoo's strengths lie in his calm ball control under high-pressure situations and occasional late runs leading to goals. Yet he has notable weaknesses, such as physical confrontation and defensive awareness. Therefore, to be effective, he must meet suitable conditions; the previous manager Ruben Amorim's 343 tactics, for instance, would not be compatible with Mainoo.

During last week's international matches, England national team manager Thomas Tuchel assisted Manchester United by allowing them to glimpse a potential future midfield pairing favored by some fans—Mainoo alongside Elliot Anderson.

Mainoo and Anderson started and played for 70 minutes, but England lost 0-1 to Japan. Unless injuries or other unforeseen circumstances prevent participation, Manchester United's new prodigy will likely remain a substitute; England's starting lineup for the crucial World Cup group stage opener against Croatia on June 17 will surely feature Anderson paired with Arsenal's Declan Rice.

When paired with Anderson, the situation resembles Mainoo's cooperation with Casemiro at Manchester United. Mainoo occupies the left side, pressing forward when off the ball because he excels only in defending smaller areas; Anderson holds a deeper position on the right, responsible for most defensive duties.

Anderson has the ability to cover a wider range, so although he also prefers the left at his club, for the "Three Lions" he must yield position to Mainoo, as the United youngster is less adaptable.

In attack, Mainoo typically uses his ball control to act as a link between defense and offense. Unfortunately, his passing level is currently not very high; he usually opts to pass the ball to Anderson, letting Nottingham Forest's core handle distribution.

The issue with this approach, similar to Manchester United this season, is its confinement to the central area. Opponents can slow down the threat created by Anderson and Mainoo before it materializes, as neither possesses the creative flair like Bruno Fernandes.

Moreover, the midfield pairing of Mainoo and Anderson is definitely unstable defensively; Japan utilized this to score the winning goal.

At that moment, Cole Palmer lost possession upfront, Anderson lost balance and failed to tackle promptly to stop the opponent, while Mainoo, as usual, did not track back. Japan launched a counterattack and ultimately scored.

If Anderson were replaced by Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali, the situation would be similar. They can function well when the formation is compact, yet once the lines stretch, the defense can be easily bypassed by opponents. Considering the defensive capability of United's No. 10 Bruno Fernandes, the risk becomes even greater.

But if Manchester United opts to sign a purely defensive midfielder like Carlos Baleba, it would equate to Mainoo pairing with current teammate Ugarte; the flaw in the new prodigy's passing level would then pose a problem.

In the match against Japan, Mainoo attempted several long-range switches, yet his long-pass accuracy was insufficient, far from reaching the level of United teammates Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.

In September 2025, former Manchester United manager Amorim, asked how Mainoo could improve to become a starter, replied: "Kobbie (Mainoo) is very skilled at controlling the game, but if he wants to excel as an 8, after reaching the opponent's box, if possession changes, he must defend back. We only have two covering a large space, and the other is Bruno (Fernandes). If Kobbie plays as a 6, sometimes he loses his position; a 6 cannot do that, we must balance attack and defense."

Amorim commented on Mainoo's playing style: "He possesses technical ability but needs better speed and awareness. He needs to better understand his position, playing with different rhythms—sometimes slow, sometimes fast. I think he has room for improvement in this aspect."

Mainoo is still young; his physique may become stronger, but he likely cannot attain the athletic ability and absolute speed of Anderson, Rice, or United academy alumnus James Garner.

Thus, Mainoo needs to learn to expand his passing range to compensate for his lack of explosiveness, similar to Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans or former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.