"Some will admit..." - Journalist reveals what Man Utd staff have said about Kobbie Mainoo and Man City

A journalist has laid bare what Manchester United staff have said about Kobbie Mainoo and Manchester City.

The buzz around United youngster Mainoo is gradually growing louder, with the 18-year-old’s outing against Arsenal at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey his latest impressive performance this pre-season.

The United youngster was asked to anchor the midfield, with Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount on either side, in front of 82,000 people at the home of the New York Giants.

They were up against an Arsenal midfield trio comprising Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and £105million England international Declan Rice.

But it was Mainoo who stood out, dropping into the space between centre-halves Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martínez to collect possession and build from the back. Meanwhile, the youngster set up Bruno Fernandes to score United’s first goal in the 2-0 win.

And writing in the Telegraph, James Ducker revealed what United staff have been saying about the midfielder.

Man Utd staff on Kobbie Mainoo

According to the Telegraph, United staff admit Mainoo is precisely the sort of talent the club may have lost to rivals Manchester City a few years ago when the Old Trafford club’s youth set-up was in a state of flux.

At the time City were chucking millions at the academy, hijacking some of the country’s best talent in the process. Meanwhile, United’s youth structure was in a bad place, mirroring the club as a whole.

Since, serious efforts and investment have been made to get United’s academy back on track, with Mainoo’s emergence to the fringes of the first team pointing to the academy’s improvements.

And Mainoo’s United teammates see a big future for the player.

Bruno Fernandes, the new captain at Old Trafford said: “He’s a great player. He’s good on the ball, strong, he can defend and attack.

“He’s still pretty young but we see a bright future for him.”