Manchester United officially sealed their return to the Champions League following their 3-2 win over arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The first half was a walk in the park for the hosts as they took a commanding two-goal lead into the break, thanks to goals from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.
It turned out to be a humdinger of a contest in the second half, as mistakes from Amad and Senne Lammens handed the visitors the chance to equalise.
But up stepped Kobbie Mainoo to seal the deal for his boyhood club with a stunning finish, just days after signing a new long-term deal.
Kobbie Mainoo: remarkable turnaround
This represents a stunning turnaround in fortunes for the Carrington graduate, who looked close to leaving the 20-time English league champions under former head coach Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese tactician felt the England international lacked physicality and pace to thrive in his rigid 3-4-3 system, and the 21-year-old failed to start a single Premier League game under him this term.
He was dejected and close to leaving, but Michael Carrick’s arrival has changed everything and now, the Englishman is among the first names on the teamsheet every week.
While Kobbie Mainoo would prefer to forget those dark days under Amorim, Diogo Dalot has bizarrely suggested that his teammate’s rise would not have been possible if not for his compatriot.
Amorim deserves credit for Kobbie Mainoo resurgence
According to the right-back, who spoke to Viaplay, that difficult period under Amorim has made the Stockport-born star a better player.
“If I can be completely honest, I think it was good for him. It’s hard to say because he’s a fantastic player and he could have been on the pitch, and we could have enjoyed a bit more of his football.
“But in your career, if you go through these moments, now he’s going to look back, and he’s going to say, ‘I worked really hard, I went through a difficult period, everybody was trying to push me, and I had to do better in training.’
“And now you can see with the way he’s playing, that made him stronger, and as a team, you should go through those difficult periods because that will make you enjoy [the good times] even more.”
Bizarre statement
Kobbie Mainoo might not agree with this ridiculous statement considering Amorim saw Bruno Fernandes as a central midfielder, which meant chances were always few and far between for him.
Now with the skipper back to his preferred No.10 role, the United No.37 is also balling in the middle of the park and is here to stay at the Theatre of Dreams.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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