Ole Gunnar Solskjær provided Kobbie Mainoo with a ‘crazy’ moment at Manchester United before his breakthrough at Old Trafford.
Kobbie Mainoo broke into Manchester United’s first team under Erik ten Hag, making his Premier League debut in November 2023.
He impressed immediately, particularly with a standout performance against Everton, and soon became a regular presence in midfield alongside Casemiro.
Mainoo capped off his breakthrough campaign by scoring the decisive goal in the FA Cup final before representing England at Euro 2024, where he started in the final defeat to Spain.
However, since Ruben Amorim took charge at Old Trafford, the 20-year-old has struggled for consistent game time. Frustrated by his limited opportunities, he even requested a loan move this summer, but the club turned it down. Now, Mainoo faces the challenge of forcing his way back into United’s starting XI.
How Solskjær provided Mainoo with ‘crazy’ United moment
While Mainoo seems to be struggling for consistent game-time right now, it wasn’t too long ago when he was breaking into the first-team picture under Ten Hag.
But the midfielder’s first introduction to that kind of setting actually came when Ole Gunnar Solskjær was in charge, and it is slightly different to other player’s experiences.
Most youngsters will slowly start getting opportunities in training with the first-team squad but Mainoo went straight into a behind-closed-doors friendly with Solskjær’s squad.
The now-20-year-old previously described the moment as ‘crazy’ as he played alongside world-class players like Edinson Cavani despite never training with the first-team beforehand.
“It was a behind-closed-doors friendly at Old Trafford and I had just played a couple of days before,” Mainoo told TNT Sports earlier this year. “My Under-18s coach came to me and said, ‘the first team need a player. Is your body okay’?
“I was like, ‘yeah’!
“Ole Gunnar Solskjær was the coach at the time. I just went in and got 20 minutes and it was just crazy. That was my first ever experience. I don’t know If I’d even trained with the first team at that point. It was just crazy seeing [Edinson] Cavani and players like that.”
Mainoo’s talent has always been obvious
Mainoo’s problems right now are frustrating for fans because the midfielder’s talent is painfully obvious, and has been since he was a young player in the youth teams.
Solskjær bringing him in for that training game, likely when he was 15 or 16, is an example of that. Manchester City tried signing him many times through the age groups too.
His qualities are clear and while he might not be someone who will outrun everyone in the midfield, that is not the be-all and end-all of the game, especially in the middle.
Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes were not those kind of players but are arguably two of United’s most important players in their most successful teams. Mainoo can be that kind of player as long as he continues to work hard and get the opportunities he deserves.
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