Erik ten Hag explains Kobbie Mainoo's breakthrough at Man Utd
- Mainoo has made three starts in the Premier League this season
- The midfielder impressed in Man Utd's 0-0 draw with Liverpool
- Ten Hag has discussed the youngster's form
Erik ten Hag has said that "when you are good enough, you are old enough" when discussing Kobbie Mainoo's emergence as a Manchester United starter.
Mainoo's breakthrough into the first-team has been one of the few bright points of what's been a disappointing 2023/24 campaign for United. The Red Devils have lost seven Premier League games already, scoring just 18 goals in the process, and finished bottom of their Champions League group to crash out of Europe.
One particularly problematic area for United has been in central midfield. Casemiro's performance levels noticeably declined before picking up a significant injury, and Sofyan Amrabat has struggled to hold things together in the pivot role when paired with Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes.
18-year-old Mainoo stepped up to make his first competitive start for United in their 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park, and he has played with maturity and assurance in the games he's subsequently featured in.
Mainoo was particularly eye-catching during the Red Devils' hard-fought draw with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, brilliantly nullifying the threat of the dynamic Dominik Szoboszlai.
Asked by reporters about Mainoo's emergence as a starter, Ten Hag said of the teenager: "When you are good enough, you are old enough and he proved that. When he gets used more often in those games, he will get even more joy from it.
"With his skill, with his speed of action he can get such passes, three or four passes in and get switches in and then he's the player who can really hurt opponents."
Ten Hag also took the time to praise Mainoo and his teammates' stout and disciplined showing at Anfield, insisting that the team need to perform in that manner on a regular basis.
"I said that after the game in the dressing room: I'm very proud of this team. We should do this more often. I said this.
"First of all, we are a hard team to beat but from that point, we can go and win games and also big games."
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