‘Mainoo should certainly not be starting’ – Man Utd’s lack of midfield quality slammed

Robin Bairner

• 4 Sept 2024 08:40 BST
• 3 min read

Kobbie Mainoo should not be a regular starter for Manchester United and his impact on the team is being seriously overrated, according to Liverpool legend Graeme Souness.

Mainoo exploded into the Man Utd squad last season as he turned in a series of impressive displays in the second half of the campaign to win himself a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad.

Souness, though, claims that the impact of the 19-year-old, whose Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has leaped up to €28.7 million having been at just €1.4m in November 2023, has been overblown.

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Souness on Mainoo

According to the veteran pundit, who was notorious in his dislike for Man Utd midfielder Paul Pogba, Mainoo is a victim of the ‘FC Hollywood’ attitude that surrounds the Old Trafford club.

Speaking on TalkSport, Souness said: “I have to say this, I'm not being unkind, Mainoo might be a player, but it's so Man United.

“This is not to be critical of Man United, it's never been any different.

“But when someone comes on the scene at Man United, in my days they were the 'new George Best', or the 'new Bobby Charlton', the 'new Denis Law'.

“It is FC Hollywood, they call Bayern Munich in Germany 'FC Hollywood', that's Man United here.

“If anyone shows anything, they're put into superstardom category, way before they've even become a good player.

“And Mainoo right now should be a player that's flitting in and out of a good team - not coming in and being asked to stand up and play against the very best teams.

“He might be a player one day, but he's certainly not the go-to man at United like they're making him out to be in midfield.”

Souness’ criticism comes in the wake of Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over the Red Devils at Old Trafford – a game in which the teenager committed an error that led to a goal.

Mainoo, who has a contract at Man Utd until 2027, has started all three of Man Utd’s Premier League matches this season, with FootballCritic giving him a top score of 7.8 against Fulham on the opening day of the campaign.