Kobbie Mainoo completed 65 of his 67 passes at Old Trafford on Sunday, won more possessions than any team-mate and finished as the highest-rated United player on the pitch. His side still lost 1-0 to Manchester City despite playing more than an hour against 10 men after Phil Foden’s early red card.
Mainoo led the home side for touches, dribbles, chances created and defensive contributions in the 199th Manchester derby. Erling Haaland’s hour-mark winner survived a lengthy VAR check, and every other United player underperformed around him.
That is Manchester United’s story right now. One 21-year-old is playing at a level his team is not.
Four points from four, and Neville uneasy
United go into the international break with four points from their opening four Premier League matches, matching their joint-worst start to a top-flight season.
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Gary Neville said the concerns went beyond the officiating.
“Michael Carrick can be angry about the goal but he should also be angry about the performance,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“Next Sunday against Fulham, that becomes a real pressure game now because obviously Fulham have not started the season that well.”
Michael Carrick, appointed on a permanent basis after guiding United to a third-place finish last season, still has the backing of the club’s hierarchy. What he does not have is a first-team looking anything like the one that finished 2025/26.
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Mainoo carries the midfield
Three days before the derby, United had opened their Champions League campaign with a 4-0 win over Azerbaijani side Sabah. Mainoo played 64 minutes and received a perfect 10 rating from ESPN, the only such score in the paper’s ratings for either team.
Owen Hargreaves was blunt about the midfielder’s importance to the team.
“How can somebody not play this player?” Hargreaves said.
The line has bite because United spent £50m on a midfielder this summer. Andrey Santos
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