The 2023/24 season was broadly one to forget for Manchester United, who struggled to impart themselves on the Premier League but their FA Cup triumph – over local rivals Manchester City in the final, transpired to be the highlight of their campaign.
However, their plight from the top table of European football has been steady over the past few seasons and they are no longer seen as a side capable of challenging to win the Premier League and/or the UEFA Champions League with many punters or bookmakers.
2013 was the last time that Manchester United managed to lift the Premier League title and despite over a billion pounds having been spent since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, United have barely laid a glove on the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal in recent times.
They do look to be long shots once again for the 2024/25 Premier League title according to many football betting sites. Under Erik ten Hag next term, however, there is a sense of optimism slowly starting to turn around the Salford club.
Ineos have taken over the ownership of the club from the vastly unpopular Glazer family and whilst results have yet to change markedly, there has been an obvious development in terms of personnel off the field, which should reap rewards in the future.
On the field of play however, the emergence of two academy graduates boosted the mood around Manchester United last season and they are two players who look to have the world at their feet.
Argentine Alejandro Garnacho had a seismic impact for United last season, scoring key goals at key times and his attacking flair is reminiscent of the likes of Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo in days gone by.
However, it has been the emergence of Kobbie Mainoo in midfield that has made most of the headlines for Manchester United this term and he looks set to be a linchpin of the club for years to come.
King Kobbie
Academy graduates have always played a major part in the makeup of Manchester United as a football club and once again the product line at Carrington looks to have produced a remarkable talent.
Having only managed to break into the first team midway through the 2023/24 season, Kobbie Mainoo made an instant impact in a Manchester United midfield that was porous and pedestrian for large parts of the campaign.
His transformation from the grass roots of football up in Manchester to Manchester United holding midfielder has been stratospheric and the way in which he has been able to impart his playing style on proceedings at Old Trafford has been noted.
Mainoo has picked up plenty of adulation for his performances this term and his winning goal in the FA Cup Final against Manchester City looks to be an early highlight, in what could be a remarkable career ahead.
Reaching The Pinnacle
At the age of just 19, Kobbie Mainoo has had a decent taste of the action at the very sharp end of football and his performances for Manchester United have enabled him to secure honours for England already.
Gareth Southgate was crying out for a holding midfielder who could play with dynamism, and he entrusted Mainoo at the heart of his midfield at Euro 2024 for the knockout stages, a move that ultimately paid dividends as England reached the final of yet another major tournament.
For the Three Lions, it wasn’t to be, as Spain showed their quality when it mattered in the final, but Mainoo played his part for an England team that will go again at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a squad that Mainoo looks set to be a key part of.
What next for United and Mainoo?
Finishing 8th in the Premier League last season is simply not good enough for a team of the stature and financial firepower of Manchester United and it is something they will need to improve upon hugely this time around.
The FA Cup win looks to have kept Erik ten Hag in the hotseat at United for another season at least and the Dutchman will be looking to engineer an improvement in performances and consistency at Old Trafford next season.
Kobbie Mainoo will be an integral part within that, as he looks to provide energy and bite in a midfield that can sometimes look a little overwhelmed in the cut and thrust of the Premier League.
Regardless of how it pans out, it promises to be a fascinating campaign for both Manchester United and Kobbie Mainoo, who looks to be one of the brightest talents in world football.
