Erik ten Hag reveals Kobbie Mainoo lineup hint as Man United face Galatasaray

Erik ten Hag has provided a hint for his Manchester United line-up against Galatasaray on Wednesday evening.

The Reds face up against the Turkish outfit in a must-win game in the Champions League.

Ten Hag’s side are currently bottom of their group after three defeats and a win in their opening four games.

However, they are coming into the game following an impressive result against Everton, winning 3-0 and taking many positives from the win.

One key player during that encounter was 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who started his first game in the Premier League.

Widely considered as the Man of the Match, the academy starlet provided some important attributes in the middle of the pitch for United.

He was able to deal with the hostile atmosphere at Goodison Park better than anyone anticipated. Rams Park, however, is a different beast.

Galatasaray’s ground is expected to be bouncing and Mainoo is only young. There are concerns from outside that it could be a better decision to see him start from the bench.

However, Ten Hag has suggested that he is not even considering dropping Mainoo because of his inexperience. But the manager does stress that he has only performed once for the first team.

“If they are good enough, they are old enough,” explained the United boss when asked about whether Mainoo would start again at Rams Park.

“We are very pleased with the performance [at Everton], but it’s one performance and you have to do it on a consistent basis. Kobbie is so mature, [but] you are only good as your last game. 

“Keep your focus on the game. You have to focus on your game, your performance and get the right levels in. When we observe, if a player is moving away from football and getting distracted, we will tell them.”