Erik ten Hag dragged Manchester United from a sixth-place finish when he took the reins back in 2022 to third in the Premier League, two finals and even managed to end the club's six-year trophy drought by winning the EFL Cup in February.
One of the keys to United's success last term under the Dutchman was a well-balanced midfield, primarily consisting of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes, although Fred and Scott McTominay played their part as well.
However, due to unforeseen injury issues this season, Ten Hag has struggled to find the right balance in the middle of the park and now the Red Devils' Brazilian general has been ruled out of action for several weeks with a hamstring problem.
Nonetheless, Ten Hag has a glaringly obvious, yet risky solution staring him in the face.
Why Man Utd's midfield are struggling
In the opening two games of the 2023/24 campaign against Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur, the Dutch coach opted to deploy summer signing Mason Mount and club captain Fernandes in front of Casemiro in the midfield but both teams carved United open a worrying amount. The English giants lost possession of the ball 88 times in the middle third across these two fixtures, according to Opta.
Regardless, Ten Hag refused to admit that the midfield was the issue after the 2-0 defeat to Spurs back in August. Instead, the former Ajax boss felt as though the frontline's pressing and the lack of stability at the back were the primary culprits. Still, the club secured the loan services of midfielder Sofyan Amrabat until the end of the season but the arrival of the Moroccan hasn't fixed the team's issues, with club legend Paul Scholes even calling Eriksen a "much better footballer" than Amrabat.
Win or lose, the midfield balance has come under the microscope in almost every game this season. Against Manchester City in the derby over a week ago, the manager decided to take Amrabat off at half-time after his booking in the first half. City ran United ragged after the interval. Pundit Gary Neville criticised this decision, claiming that "Amrabat coming off emptied the midfield".
Ten Hag has tried almost every combination possible in midfield, but there may still be one more trick up the Dutch tactician's sleeve, a return for Kobbie Mainoo.
Kobbie Mainoo's stats at Man Utd
Stockport-born Mainoo made his Premier League debut for Manchester United last season in the Premier League at home to Leicester City and was even handed his first-ever start for the club in a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup back in January. However, it was a pre-season game at the MetLife in New Jersey where Mainoo really stood out from the crowd.
Partnering with Casemiro in a double-pivot until half-time, the teenage sensation bossed the midfield against the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, assisting the opening goal of the game, and ending the match with a 7/10 rating, as per Sofascore.
After the game, club legend and former skipper Bryan Robson called Mainoo a "top player" and insisted that Ten Hag "must trust him" this season. Meanwhile, Fernandes heaped praise on Mainoo, claiming he is "good on the ball, strong, he can defend and attack". In a 45-minute performance against the Gunners, the young midfielder held a 96% passing accuracy, made one key pass and one interception, and won 100% of his defensive duels.
In Mainoo's one and only competitive start for the Red Devils, at home to Charlton in the League Cup last term, the youngster boasted an 82% passing accuracy over the course of his hour on the field. What's more impressive is that the academy product registered five passes into the final third in that game while creating one chance, according to FotMob. Piling on the praise, Anthony Elanga, Mainoo's former teammate at Old Trafford, recently labelled the 18-year-old as "unreal".
Unfortunately, Mainoo picked up a nasty ankle injury in a game against Real Madrid in pre-season which has kept him out of the team for several months. However, Mainoo is back in training and even made it onto the bench during United's dismal derby defeat to Man City recently.
With Ten Hag running out of options, perhaps Mainoo could be the perfect answer to the manager's woes in the middle of the park.
