Kobbie Mainoo has got plenty of minutes on pre-season and Erik ten Hag trusted the young midfielder again this morning when he named the 18-year-old in his starting line-up against Real Madrid.
The latest academy star to look set for a place in the first team had to be taken off after the first few minutes of the match due to a suspected foot injury.
The 18-year-old got caught up in an incident when Casemiro tripped Rodrygo. The Real Madrid forward collided with Mainoo and his foot got tangled, as reported by ESPN’s Rob Dawson.
Shame for Mainoo. Injured after just two minutes and replaced with Eriksen. Casemiro tripped Rodrygo and fell into Mainoo.
— Rob Dawson (@RobDawsonESPN) July 27, 2023
It was clearly an accident. That being said, it has been a competitive friendly encounter at the NRG Stadium, with Madrid leading 1-0.
Jude Bellingham scored, albeit from an offside position, while Mainoo received treatment on the touchline. The youngster was eventually replaced by Christian Eriksen, who struggled to keep up with Madrid’s midfield in the first-half.
It comes as a blow for United because Mainoo has clearly impressed Ten Hag on pre-season.
I think the manager made a statement tonight by starting him in the headline friendly, alongside Casemiro, but it’s a real shame that he had to come off injured in the opening minutes.
Hopefully, we find out soon that it’s not as bad as first feared because he appeared to be in pain and instantly knew he wasn’t going to be able to continue.
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