Cesc Fabregas knows a thing or two about being an incredibly talented but young central midfielder playing week in week out in the Premier League.
The former Spain international, who won the World Cup in 2010, came through Barcelona’s youth academy La Masia before leaving the club at 16 when he was signed by Arsenal in 2003.
Fabregas went on to establish himself in the team following injuries to key midfielders at the start of the 2004-05 season. He would eventually return to Barcelona in 2011 until 2014 when he decided to return to the Premier League to sign for Arsenal’s rivals Chelsea.
Speaking on the Planet Football podcast with the BBC, Fabregas spoke to Mark Chapman about Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo and it is clear that he admires the talented 18-year-old.
“He’s not only the future in my opinion, but he’s the present already” Fabregas said. “He can make a real difference.
“He’s got a fantastic personality [it’s] like he’s been playing for a long time.
“To help him in the summer, they need to recruit players who can gain this quality on the pitch to make him more brilliant than what he is.
“With these talented players, the better quality they get around him, the better they get. So I am expecting a big summer transfer window for Manchester United… but next season he needs to be a key player no matter what.”
Fabregas went on to declare that Mainoo is ‘great for football’ which is fantastic praise for a player so young.
“I always talk about [the important thing being] how much you want the ball in difficult moments because when you are winning 6-0 or 5-0 it is very easy to throw in a young player and he will get on the ball and want to prove himself.
“But in the Premier League, to perform the way he is doing, in a season where it’s very, very difficult for every United player, and some of the best players are struggling, shows a lot.
“He plays without fear, and this is what I love about him.
“He just wants the ball, wants to make things happen. I always talk about the attitude and the personality; this is what makes a really, really good player in the difficult moments and he’s showing that.
“Hopefully, he can go all the way, because it would be great for football.”
Next up for United and Mainoo is an FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City.
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