Man Utd can make Mainoo unplayable by signing “danger-man”

Manchester United have produced some stellar players from their academy during the Premier League era. Of course, the most famous group is the esteemed Class of ‘92, featuring the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes among others. They were a key part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side for years, winning the treble as their greatest achievement.

In the more modern era, the likes of Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay have flown the flag for Carrington academy graduates, with the Scot moving on over the summer, joining Italian giants Napoli.

Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are the most recent academy products to thrive in the first team under Erik ten Hag. Both youngsters scored in the FA Cup final victory against Manchester City last season.

Another United academy graduate, who is no longer at the club, has had a strange career but certainly left his mark at Old Trafford. That man is Paul Pogba.

Pogba’s United career

In August 2016, the Red Devils broke the then-world record transfer to bring Pogba back to Old Trafford. He cost a whopping £89m, having left for nothing in 2012, joining Italian giants Juventus.

His time at United has certainly split opinion over time. The Frenchman, who won the World Cup in 2018, played 233 times in that famous Red shirt, initially playing seven times in the 2011/12 season before his departure. In that time, Pogba scored 39 goals and grabbed 48 assists.

He also played a big hand in winning two trophies during his second spell at Old Trafford. The 31-year-old scored in the 2016/17 Europa League final against Ajax, which the Red Devils won 2-0, and played 90 minutes against Southampton in the Carabao Cup final that same season.

The former United number six scored some crucial goals during his time for the club. Aside from his strike against Ajax, Pogba found the back of the net twice against Man City in 2017/18 to help his side come down from 2-0 down and win 3-2.

He evidently had a big influence in the dressing room, and those who managed him at Old Trafford clearly viewed him as a leader. The 91-cap French international was United’s captain on 11 occasions during his time at the club.

Whatever the general opinion of Pogba’s spell at United is, there is no doubt he was a maverick on the pitch, a genius player who possessed incredible skill with the ball at his feet and sublime passing ability. Losing him for free was a big mistake from United, and is something they will be hoping to avoid with Mainoo, who seems to be getting a new contract soon enough.

However, the Red Devils are linked with another academy player who they lost on a free, and could end up buying him back like Pogba.

Man United target former academy star

The player in question here is Lille and England international midfielder Angel Gomes. The 24-year-old left Old Trafford in 2020, joining the French side where he has excelled and has since played for the Three Lions.

According to a report from GiveMeSport, the Red Devils are among several Premier League sides who are ‘continuing to track’ the midfielder. A price tag has not been named, and whilst the midfielder’s contract expires next summer, he would still cost a fee in January. He is valued at £24.3m as per Transfermarkt.

Indeed, this would certainly be similar to the Pogba situation; losing a highly-rated academy graduate midfielder for free, who was described as a “danger-man” by football statistician Statman Dave back in his academy days. The main difference between the two deals would be the fee, with Gomes set to cost far less than the Frenchman.

The London-born midfielder played ten times for United, largely as an attacking midfielder. When he made his debut, he was their youngest-ever Premier League player and the first player born in the 2000s to make their English top-flight debut. He was just 16 years and 263 days old when he came on against Crystal Palace in 2017.

Since his move to France, via a loan to Portuguese outfit Boavista, Lille’s number eight has played 123 times for the club and has seen a redefinition of his role. He could now be considered a versatile midfielder capable of playing as a number six, a number eight or a number 10.

He is a controller in the middle of the park, possessing great technical quality and a high footballing IQ. The former Boavista man has worked on becoming a first-phase specialist, receiving the ball from the defenders and progressing play forwards.

Should the United academy graduate return to the club, he could form a superb partnership with 19-year-old Mainoo. Playing together in a double pivot, the duo could enhance United’s midfield quality and strike up a good balance between attack and defence.

Neither are a natural defensive midfielder, but both have defensive capabilities which means they can hold down the fort, allowing the other to foray forwards.

Indeed, both players excel in the final third, with Gomes creating an average of 2.4 chances per game this season, and Mainoo completing more forward passes, with 12.8 each match, as per Squawka.

There might be a concern with lack of balance should this midfield pair ever form in that famous Red Devils shirt. However, against teams who are likely to sit deep and allow Ten Hag’s side to have the ball, it could certainly work.

The pair are yet to play together for England, with Mainoo missing the most recent squad due to injury. However, the United number 37 made way for the Lille man for his Three Lions debut, in the Nations League against Ireland.

Should the Red Devils get this deal over the line, it would be a huge statement of intent. Their former academy midfielder would certainly enhance the quality of their midfield and could form a deadly partnership with Mainoo, which would be one of the most technical midfield duos in Europe.