Scholes: Mainoo has the ability to become the future of Manchester United's midfield and will continue to improve

On a podcast program in partnership with SPORTbible, Manchester United legends Scholes and Butt once again discussed Kobbie Mainoo.

Scholes said: “I think Mainoo has the ability to become the future of the (Manchester United) midfield. He will get better, he is still young, and he missed a lot of games previously after losing his place. When he really played last year, his performances were quite good, but he had been out of action for many matches before that, so he will definitely need some time to readjust. But I think if he can have the right partner alongside him, I have no doubt about his ability.”

Nicky Butt is also optimistic about Mainoo’s potential, but he believes the 21-year-old has two clear areas that need improvement during matches.

Butt said: “I like Kobbie because we knew his ability through the academy and we knew what kind of talent he had. It just seems that he has never really had the chance to play consistently. At the end of last season under Michael, he did get a period of regular appearances, which also silenced some people who had questioned him before, but I still think he needs to do more. He needs to contribute more goals, and he also needs to cover the pitch better. But I do believe he should have been given opportunities at the start of this season (compared with the beginning of last season).”