“We have played in the England U21 together and the connection between me and him is Massive we where unstoppable-i want Sir Jim Ratcliffe to Sign him in the summer for Manchester United.”

It’s already clear that Kobbie Mainoo will start in the tough middle position for Manchester United at this point in his career.

Do not think about the fact that there is a Brazilian player who has won five Champions Leagues. Or a Dane who has played for Denmark in almost 130 games. Or even the club leader, who was a key player in another tough season.

At this point, United doesn’t have Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, or even Bruno Fernandes as their first choice in the middle of the field. Mainoo is 18 years old.

These are the players Erik ten Hag will choose to start the last eight (or nine) games of the season: Mainoo plus one other. Casemiro is the preferred partner right now, and he and Mainoo have formed a relationship that works pretty well in the middle of the field, with Casemiro’s defense skills and experience and Mainoo’s quick feet, skill with the ball, and sheer energy.

For the boy from Stockport, his rise to fame has been like lightning. It looks like he will definitely be in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 team, even though he only made his debut last month as a late replacement against Brazil. He has also solidified his spot in the United starting lineup.

United has to decide who to play Mainoo with next season. Though Casemiro is 32 and not as strong as he used to be, he is the natural choice to play with the young player right now. He isn’t as fit as he used to be, and neither are his legs. He might be away this summer if the right person comes along.

Eriksen is also set to leave Old Trafford this summer. He was another player that Ten Hag brought in whose star shone but faded too quickly. Fernandes, on the other hand, will continue to be the inspiration, but most likely in a more advanced role. Scott McTominay’s once-dying United career may have been brought back to life so spectacularly this season that he may be due a new contract, but he will still be seen more as a squad player than a regular starter in the middle of the field if Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to reach his goal of catching Man City and Co.

This summer, United needs to get a strong center defender, and Mainoo has already said who his dream partner would be. An interview with mufc.com asked the young player which past United player he’d most like to play with.

The great Paul Scholes should not have been a surprise as an answer. Some things about their play are the same, like how they handle the ball and look for the goal. Scholes is third all-time in terms of games played and has won 11 Premier League wins.

He answered, “I’d say Paul Scholes.” “Though there might not be much defending between us two!” Yes, Scholes. Scholes, for sure.

“Due to all of it. How he passed, how he moved, and how he could finish. How smart he is. He was a great player, yes.

In the beginning, Scholes might not seem like the best partner for Mainoo, and he is right when he says that they might not do much defense work together in the middle of the field. Scholes was a powerful attacker in the early part of his career. He often got to the box late and scored some amazing goals.

But in the second part of his time at United, Scholes did better in a deep-lying playmaker role, which showed off his great passes and controlled the pace of the game. No one in the Premier League could speed up or slow down a game better than Scholes, who was known as “SatNav” for his wide range of passes.

Even though Scholes never did a great job of tackling—97 yellow cards and a scolding from Arsene Wenger for being “dirty”—he knew how to block charges and set up United for the counterattack.

These are things that United needs in the middle of the field right now. None of the midfielders give you much control, and Casemiro loses the ball a lot. In the Premier League this season, he only completes 82% of the passes he makes. The 10th best team in the league in terms of control is United, behind Fulham and Newcastle even.