KOBBIE MAINOO is back and Manchester United will recruit a midfielder this summer to partner him — NOT replace him.
The England star, 20, was left out in the cold by Ruben Amorim but has enjoyed quite the headline change since Michael Carrick’s arrival as interim manager.
Mainoo has played almost every minute since Amorim’s exit after hardly getting a look-in under United’s former boss.
The Stockport-born star’s cute lay-off for Bryan Mbeumo’s opener against Tottenham trumped the finish.
So much so that Bruno Fernandes, who started the corner routine, high-fived Mainoo before the goalscorer.
As dire as Spurs’ situation is, this was something of an acid test for Mainoo against an imposing and rounded trio of midfielders — Joao Palhinha, Pape Matar Sarr and Conor Gallagher.
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Mainoo did not have it all his own way and Cristian Romero’s red card definitely helped.
But his crafty flick oozed the confidence that he has regained under Carrick.
And in added time, Mainoo chested the ball perfectly to Fernandes with his final touch. United’s task for the summer window will be to find someone to play alongside him — months after his Old Trafford future looked bleak.
The Red Devils were offered Gallagher by Atletico Madrid on deadline day in September before he joined Spurs last month.
It remains peculiar United did not explore a loan move for another Tottenham midfielder Palhinha, given the Portuguese influx under Amorim and the club’s productive relationship with his parent club, Bayern Munich.
With Sarr holding the midfield, Tottenham imposed themselves impressively but were forced on to the back foot by Romero whose crunching tackle left Casemiro writhing in pain on 29 minutes.
Casemiro’s performances have been overstated of late but his importance is all the greater amid the rank incompetence of Manuel Ugarte, the pretender to his throne.
Palhinha started in a three-man defence for Tottenham’s comeback draw with Manchester City the previous week but moved back into midfield at Old Trafford.
Casemiro turns 34 this month and often looked his age. After he passed into touch in the second minute, he moaned at Diogo Dalot, yet Fernandes felt the Brazilian was the culprit.
Fernandes was on Casemiro’s case again on 25 minutes after he failed to latch on to Harry Maguire’s mis-hit clearance.
But it was Romero who got his touch all wrong when he attempted to dribble the ball out of Tottenham’s third. The Brazilian nicked the ball away from the Argentine and Romero overzealously left his mark on his ankle to get sent off.
After receiving treatment Casemiro was moving freely a couple of minutes later. He remains the one injury United cannot afford.
Mbeumo’s slide-rule finish on 38 minutes finally ended the resistance of Spurs No 1 Guglielmo Vicario.
With United a man up and a goal up, Casemiro got a new lease of life.
He had a firm header tipped over by Vicario and quickly intercepted a pass in added time of the first half.
Xavi Simons attempted to seize on United’s laxness in the second half, half-volleying just wide and gaining a free-kick inside the United third.
Casemiro rarely completes 90 minutes and started to lag again, with Palhinha crunching into him fairly on the hour.
Palhinha was quicker to the ball again in the 70th minute but his launched tackle on Mainoo was harshly penalised and the Portuguese midfielder was booked.
Despite Casemiro’s weariness, it was telling United had four subs warming up and Ugarte was not one of them. He eventually got thrown on — but not until the 87th minute.
United have conceded 24 goals with Ugarte on the pitch this season and won one of the nine games he has started in.
Fernandes passed on an instruction from Carrick to Mainoo on 80 minutes.
And a minute later, the pair were celebrating the United captain’s clincher. The Portuguese expertly guided home Dalot’s inswinging cross with his shin.
Casemiro’s final contribution had been to regain possession in front of the Stretford End, who sang his name and continued to do so as he made his way off the pitch.
He earned a high five from Mainoo. Soon it was Mainoo’s turn to receive a standing ovation.
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