Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reckons Kobbie Mainoo is the key to unlocking Bruno Fernandes ' best form at Manchester United, with the young midfielder featuring in Michael Carrick's opening two matches as interim boss this month. Mainoo has been handed a new lease of life after barely getting a look-in under previous manager Ruben Amorim.
His lack of game time sparked talk about his future, with the player even pushing for a loan switch last summer, and transfer whispers persisting into January. Napoli were reportedly keen on snapping him up, but the midfielder now appears destined to stay at Old Trafford, with Carrick set to play a crucial role in nurturing his talent.
Mainoo hadn't made a single Premier League start this season until last weekend's Manchester derby. Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, Hasselbaink discussed just how important Mainoo can be for United and encouraged him to maintain his momentum.
"He needs to keep on doing what he's doing at the moment for Man United," the former Chelsea striker said. "It's only two matches, but he needs to stay, first of all, in the team, and he needs to play at this level.
"We talk about Bruno Fernandes in the No.10 position: he makes Bruno Fernandes play better."
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Hasselbaink, who had the opportunity to witness Mainoo's skills up close while coaching in the England setup alongside United's interim assistant head coach Steve Holland, was full of praise for the young player.
He said: "He's [Mainoo] very confident on the ball. At times in training, me and Steve Holland were looking at ourselves when Steve was doing some drills on the pitch, we're looking at ourselves when he has the ball and it's just so beautiful to see, you know.
"The boy can play, and he wants to play, and he's not scared to play. That's really what you need."
As the World Cup looms, Mainoo will be keen to keep up his impressive form in hopes of securing a spot in Thomas Tuchel's squad. On the other hand, Carrick is optimistic about the 20-year-old's potential under his tutelage.
"I think part of a career is a few ups and downs and sometimes it goes in different trajectories," he commented.
"But I think we've seen last week what Kobbie can bring. It was great.
"He's quite straight-faced and he doesn't give you an awful lot, but you could see the way he played and he expressed himself.
"He was enjoying himself and to see him like that was great."
