How Man Utd could sign an even bigger midfield talent than Kobbie Mainoo

A wasted summer then for Kobbie Mainoo, the Manchester United man conspicuously absent from England‘s final outing against France, a clash that might well have brought with it his first minutes of the World Cup.

Alas, a ‘back injury’ ensured the 21-year-old ended the tournament as the only outfield player in Thomas Tuchel’s squad not to feature at all, just two years on from having started every knockout game at Euro 2024.

Considering his late return to the Three Lions fold this year, following a difficult 18 months or so at club level, Mainoo was perhaps always facing a losing battle to win over Tuchel, albeit with the question remaining as to why the German selected him in the first place if not planning to utilise him.

The Stockport-born playmaker can put that behind him now at least and look ahead to what will hopefully be a positive season under Michael Carrick at club level.

What Man Utd’s midfield signings mean for Mainoo

Considering Mainoo started every game bar one following Carrick’s arrival in January, it’d be safe to assume that he will have a key role to play again in 2026/27, particularly having only recently penned a new long-term deal at Old Trafford.

There wasn’t exactly much competition for places last term, however, with Manuel Ugarte the only genuine alternative to Mainoo and Casemiro in that deep-lying midfield role.

New faces such as Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans will certainly ensure that the youngster has a great fight on his hands for a starting role, with the third midfield berth almost certain to remain in Bruno Fernandes’ grasp.

Santos, a player hailed as “very similar statistically to Casemiro” by Chelsea correspondent Nizaar Kinsella, is more likely to complement than rival Mainoo, with the Brazilian lining up in a number six role in last weekend’s friendly defeat to Wrexham.

It is the Tielemans signing, however, that might impact Mainoo more directly, with it difficult to see a world in which the pair line up alongside each other too often, considering the concerns over their lack of mobility and athleticism.

There will be times when United seek to control games that the duo could thrive together, although it does appear likely to be a case of one or the other, providing a sense of intrigue over who will get the nod.

Tielemans, at 29, is a vastly experienced operator and has proven himself at Premier League level for a number of seasons now, while the decision to hand the Belgian skipper a five-year deal speaks to how highly-regarded he is at Old Trafford.

Quite what that means for Mainoo, well, we shall have to see, with the Englishman also likely to have a fight on his hands if a third midfield signing is made.

How Man Utd could sign a bigger midfield talent than Mainoo

Santos and Tielemans are expected to be followed by at least one new midfielder this summer, with Casemiro having now departed and with Ugarte expected to be sidelined for an extended period.

There has been plenty of talk surrounding United’s apparent interest in Manu Kone, although there might well be hesitancy to invest in a player who wasn’t exactly on anyone’s radar before the World Cup.

Indeed, a far more exciting target from within the France camp would be Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid, Warren Zaire-Emery, with TopMercato revealing that United are interested in the 20-year-old.

INEOS are said to be preparing a bid in the region of €60m (£51m) for the youngster, albeit with the Ligue 1 side valuing him at closer to €80m (£69m), with three years left to run on his current contract.

While it wasn’t a standout summer for the Frenchman, as he made just two appearances for Les Bleus, he had been a central figure at club level last term, despite missing out on a starting role in the Champions League final.

Comfortable operating in central midfield or at right-back, Zaire-Emery covered so effectively for both Achraf Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz throughout the campaign, notably making 47 starts in all competitions.

He typically hasn’t been able to dislodge PSG’s starting midfield trio of Ruiz, Joao Neves and Vitinha, but the £69m-rated star remains such a talent, hailed by Jorge Mendes as already “one of the best midfielders in the world“.

A two-time Champions League winner by the age of 20, Zaire-Emery is already four years into his first-team career, having debuted at the age of 16 back in 2022.

The 13-cap France international has already made 183 appearances for the Parisien side, racking up 25 goals and assists, with it easy to see why he is so highly thought of at the Parc des Princes.

Considering his wealth of experience already, alongside his burgeoning trophy collection, it’s easy to suggest that Zaire-Emery might be a bigger talent than Mainoo, the latter man having made just 102 appearances for United, scoring and assisting only nine times.

Mainoo’s only piece of major silverware thus far was the 2024 FA Cup, having only briefly featured in the Carabao Cup run a year earlier, after making his debut in the competition against Charlton Athletic.

It’s also yet to be seen what the Carrington graduate can do at the really elite level, with just two Champions League appearances under his belt so far. For Zaire-Emery, meanwhile, the in-demand talent has made 44 appearances in Europe’s premier competition.

In Ligue 1 last term too, for instance, the PSG starlet scored and assisted seven goals, created eight ‘big chances’ and averaged 1.3 key passes per game from his 27 starts.

As for Mainoo, while hampered by Ruben Amorim’s stubbornness in the first-half of the season, he scored and assisted only three Premier League goals, created just one ‘big chance’ and averaged just 0.8 key passes from his 16 starts.

The United man was also outperformed by the Frenchman in terms of pass completion too (94% vs 89%).

Of course, with PSG proving the dominant force in Ligue 1, Zaire-Emery will have had an easier ride in recent years, but it’s hard not to be impressed by his versatility and quality, with there seemingly an even bigger midfield talent there than that of Mainoo.