“Don’t do…” Kobbie Mainoo warned against lifestyle choice by ex-Premier League winner

Kobbie Mainoo warned against making certain lifestyle choices by ex-Premier League winner Micah Richards following his brilliant first senior season with Manchester United.

Kobbie Mainoo’s emergence in Manchester United‘s first team this season has been a highlight amid an otherwise disappointing campaign at Old Trafford.

Despite a morale-boosting FA Cup victory, which has lifted spirits around Erik ten Hag as the summer transfer window approaches, it is important to remember that United finished eighth in the Premier League and were eliminated from the Champions League before Christmas.

Read More: Manchester United tell Kieran McKenna and other targets the current stance on Erik ten Hag

Mainoo scored the decisive goal in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, calmly finishing Bruno Fernandes’ reverse pass to beat Stephan Ortega at Wembley Stadium, capping off a remarkable debut season for the young talent.

Micah Richards, a former City player turned pundit, has warned Mainoo against making the same mistakes he made as a professional player.

Richards has often admitted that he sometimes made lavish lifestyle choices during his playing career outside of football that he regrets.

“It’s just amazing. I’m just watching his temperament,” Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast.

“We know he’s got the quality, and for young players, you know, it’s just… You want to give those young players advice, don’t you? Don’t do the things that I did, you know? No, but you can enjoy it. You can enjoy it, and look at my life now.

“We’re so blessed to have a football career and then a broadcasting career, but I look back with regret so many times where I worked hard in training, and, you know, I always take the mick out of myself, but I will always give 100% in training.

“But if I would have just adapted certain things in my lifestyle that allowed me to be the best I could possibly be, I just want him to fulfil that.

“You know, with Jude (Bellingham) going to Dortmund so early, being away, he does what he needs to do, play the years in Germany, and then he goes to Real Madrid, where he’s away from all the distractions, and it’s just football, and now we’re seeing the true benefit of that.

“I just want him… You know, he’s a local lad, isn’t he? And he’s got his friends, and I’m not saying his friends are good or bad or whatnot, but I just hope he can be protected. That’s my big worry for him.”

With Mainoo, there have so far been no warning signs that he could make any of the decisions that Richards is referring to. Mainoo’s presence both on and off the field indicates a young man who is wise beyond his years, grounded, and intelligent while being completely focused on becoming the best possible player he can be.

He is surrounded by others who have screwed on heads at both club and international level, with those such as Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martínez, and Harry Kane, who can help guide the young star during the early years of his career.