"In an alternate universe, Kobbie Mainoo is playing for someone other than Manchester United right now. Perhaps he'd be wearing the light blue of Napoli, given the Serie A champions twice showed interest in signing the midfielder during his miserable year under Ruben Amorim. Instead, Mainoo's nightmare has been ended by head coach Michael Carrick rather than Antonio Conte. And with the 20-year-old back in favor and wearing red, United and Carrick have won four Premier League games in a row."
"The latest, Saturday's 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, had plenty to do with Cristian Romero's first-half red card, but also Mainoo's assured performance in the center of the pitch. It's natural after such a sharp uplift in results to look at what's made the difference. The two most obvious changes are the switch from three at the back to four and the decision to bring Mainoo back in from the cold."
Kobbie Mainoo returned to Manchester United's starting midfield under interim head coach Michael Carrick after a difficult spell on the bench under Ruben Amorim. Napoli showed interest during Mainoo's challenging period, but Carrick restored the 20-year-old to the side, and United have subsequently won four consecutive Premier League matches. The 2-0 win over Tottenham combined a red card for Cristian Romero with Mainoo's composed central performance. Tactical changes included a shift from three at the back to four, and Carrick emphasized Mainoo's talent, youth and need to regain match rhythm after time out.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]