A 2-1 victory over Luton Town in round 25 of the Premier League helped Manchester United narrow the gap with the Top 4 to 5 points, thereby continuing to raise hopes of winning tickets to the Champions League next season. The “Red Devils” started the match impressively, leading 2-0 after just the first 7 minutes. This achievement helps Man Utd become the team to create the earliest 2 away goal difference in Premier League history.

It seemed like a dream start would turn the match against Luton into an easy outing for Erik ten Hag and his team. However, Man United then had to struggle to leave Kenilworth Road with all 3 points. Even the performance of MU players still left many ripples.

The chaos in Man Utd’s play appeared after Luton Town equalized in the 14th minute. At this time, calmness is something experienced players need to promote. However, while Harry Maguire let Carlton Morris overwhelm and overtake him, Casemiro also continuously made ungodly fouls and almost received a second yellow card. Captain Bruno Fernandes plays too “ball-wasting”. Marcus Rashford is still lazy in pressing and playing superficially and irresponsibly.

When experienced names were powerless in the face of Luton’s dominance, Man Utd’s only bright spot was young player Kobbie Mainoo. The talent born in 2005 still shows composure and smart ball handling skills.

Against an unpleasant opponent like Luton, Mainoo still impressed thanks to his ability to skillfully escape pressing, confidently circulate the ball and connect between the lines. According to statistics, Mainoo had 6 successful dribbles against Luton. This is the highest number of successful dribbles by a Man Utd player in the Premier League, second only to Paul Pogba’s record of 7 successful dribbles against Norwich City in April 2022. This statistic also makes it impossible Few “Red Devils” fans think of the similarities between the 18-year-old talent and the 89 million pound blockbuster MU once recruited.

Not only that, with his influence, Mainoo is gradually becoming an irreplaceable person at Man United. In all competitions this season, the English midfielder has 13 main starts. In particular, Man Utd won 61.5% of matches when Mainoo was named in the starting lineup. On the contrary, of the 22 matches in which the 18-year-old star did not start, MU failed in 50% of them.

According to Opta, in the Premier League alone, Bruno Fernandes (27) and Diogo Dalot (25) are the Man Utd players involved in more offensive plays ending with a shot than Kobbie Mainoo (23). However, if calculated per 90 minutes alone, the young English talent is proving to be superior, having an average of 2.37 times participating in offensive phases ending in a shot, every 90 minutes.

In addition, if counting only players who played at least 170 minutes this season, Mainoo ranked 4th at Man Utd in terms of the number of times the opponent was close and pressured when in possession of the ball (19.6 times/90 minutes). However, Mainoo is the midfielder with the highest number of successful passes under pressure at MU this season (3.92 passes/90 minutes).

Not only does he fulfill the role of regulating and circulating the ball well, the talent born in 2005 also tends to get closer to the opponent’s goal. This change immediately brought 2 goals in 2 consecutive matches for Man Utd. The highlight was the goal that sealed a 4-3 victory for Man United against Wolves in the 90+7 minute, in round 22 of the Premier League. Mainoo confidently held the ball, broke through two opposing players and curled a dangerous shot to help Man Utd win a dramatic victory.

Impressive performances not only helped Kobbie Mainoo win the trust of Erik ten Hag, but the young British talent also has a great opportunity to join the “Three Lions” squad at EURO 2024.

“It would be a pity if Mainoo is not named in the England squad at the next gathering. While Man United is in a chaotic situation, he still has incredible progress, composure and maturity.

I’m really impressed and haven’t seen an English player like that in a long time,” former Arsenal player Ian Wright posted on his X account.

According to Daily Mail, Gareth Southgate can call up Mainoo next March, to enrich the England midfield before EURO 2024. This becomes even more possible when both Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips are out of form. good recently.