Tactical Analysis: Kobbie Mainoo is narrowing down his position

Three days later, Mainoo scored the winner against Liverpool, in front of the Stretford End, to seal qualification for next season’s Champions League. It was only five months ago that Champions League football looked highly improbable, with Mainoo himself only having played 220 Premier League minutes. It’s been quite the turnaround for both player and club since former midfielder Michael Carrick was appointed Manchester United’s head coach.

This summer Manchester United are going to embark on the difficult but necessary task of completely overhauling their midfield . Casemiro is set to depart the club, and Manuel Ugarte might follow him out, with the club looking to sign (hopefully) three new midfielders but almost certainly at least two. It’s a very big puzzle that United need to get right if they want to compete on multiple fronts next season – or really even a single front.

Right in the middle of that puzzle has always been Kobbie Mainoo. There has been plenty of debate as to whether Mainoo should be the centerpiece that United build their midfield around, or if he’s merely a piece of the puzzle. Regardless of the outcome of that debate, there has been further debate as to which midfield role best suits Mainoo.

Mainoo does not score a lot of goals, but he has a knack for scoring big ones. His first Premier League goal was an injury-time winner against Wolves – right after United had just let a two-goal lead slip. His next was an equalizer in front of the Stretford End against Liverpool.