Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo has been tipped to have saved the club as much as £60-70million in the transfer market by former Red Devils ace Tom Cleverley.
Mainoo has established himself as one of the most promising young players in the Premier League this season, getting more playing time for the Man Utd first-team after first catching the eye in pre-season.
Erik ten Hag will be delighted with how Mainoo is getting on, with the 18-year-old now surely likely to play a key role for the side for the long term.
Mainoo is just the latest top talent to emerge from the United academy, and Cleverley admits it’s a bonus to see his old club continuing to produce players like this as it can save a fortune in the transfer market.
“The biggest positive, not just from the Liverpool game, has been the emergence of Mainoo,” Cleverley exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone.
“He looks very assured, very calm and composed on the ball and a good decision maker. He keeps on impressing; it’s always nice when you don’t have to spend £60-70m on a player because he’s on your books already.
“I think (Erik ten Hag) has managed him well, he had a great game at Goodison, and then he took him out of the limelight. We can’t expect too much from him too soon. But this has been a great start to his career.”
Still, as promising as Mainoo is looking, there will surely be a need for MUFC to strengthen their squad in January after what has largely been a disappointing campaign.
Ten Hag’s side are out of Europe, having finished bottom of their Champions League group, and they look a long way off competing for the Premier League title once again, so they’ll need some more established quality to come in and play alongside promising young players like Mainoo.