Paul Scholes has questioned Manchester United’s decision to leave Kobbie Mainoo out of the starting XI after their 2-0 defeat to Hull City.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football, the United legend argued that Mainoo remains better than the midfielders brought in during the summer.
“They’ve spent £90 million on two midfield players and another £60-£70m on another player. He (Kobbie Mainoo) is better than all three of them.
“Have we not learnt this lesson from the first half of last season when he didn’t play and they were terrible? I still don’t think he was amazing when he came into the team, but he’s better than what we’ve got!”
Kobbie Mainoo situation needs context
Paul Scholes is entitled to question the selection, but the circumstances around Mainoo’s absence shouldn’t be ignored.
The midfielder started every game under Michael Carrick last season, so there is little doubt about his importance to the manager. However, Kobbie Mainoo returned late from the World Cup and didn’t have a full pre-season with the rest of the squad.
That makes his absence against Hull easier to understand, particularly with Carrick having two new midfield options in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. Additionally, Carlos Baleba is also close to a move. This would create competition, and with a long season ahead, including the Champions League, Michael Carrick would be happy with his midfield options.
The Hull defeat was poor, but judging the new midfield after one game would be premature. Carrick has brought in players specifically to improve that area, while Mainoo still has an important role to play.
Scholes’ point about Mainoo’s ability is worth considering. Calling out the selection after the opening game, though, feels a little too early.
