Cesc Fabregas has waxed lyrical about one Manchester United gem before declaring his talent is a positive for football.
There has been little to shout about this season for Manchester United, amid one of the most confusing seasons in the club’s history, which is in the running to be the worst in recent memory.
Whatever Erik ten Hag was envisioning last summer for his side going forward, it’s gone devastatingly wrong.
The midfield has been woeful outside of Kobbie Mainoo, while the defence has been exposed due to injuries and the ageing profile within the department.
But there has been one thing worth celebrating for the Old Trafford faithful, ahead of a busy summer transfer window.
Now, the legendary World Cup-winning Spaniard Cesc Fabregas has raved about exactly who United should be very excited about.
Cesc Fabregas explains what he loves about Kobbie Mainoo
Speaking on the Planet Football podcast with the BBC, the Como assistant manager had a lot to say when Mark Chapman asked him his thoughts on Mainoo.
Unsurprisingly, all of his comments were in praise of the wonderful 18-year-old.
“He’s not only the future in my opinion, but he’s the present already”, Fabregas then continued, “He can make a real difference.
“He’s got a fantastic personality [it’s] like he’s been playing for a long time.
“To help him in the summer, they need to recruit players who can gain this quality on the pitch to make him more brilliant than what he is.
“With these talented players, the better quality they get around him, the better they get. So I am expecting a big summer transfer window for Manchester United… but next season he needs to be a key player no matter what.”
Fabregas then continued to heap praise onto the composure and attitude of Mainoo, before declaring the United prodigy turned superstar is ‘great for football’.
“I always talk about [the important thing being] how much you want the ball in difficult moments because when you are winning 6-0 or 5-0 it is very easy to throw in a young player and he will get on the ball and want to prove himself.
“But in the Premier League, to perform the way he is doing, in a season where it’s very, very difficult for every United player, and some of the best players are struggling, shows a lot.
“He plays without fear, and this is what I love about him.
“He just wants the ball, wants to make things happen. I always talk about the attitude and the personality; this is what makes a really, really good player in the difficult moments and he’s showing that.
“Hopefully, he can go all the way, because it would be great for football.”
Fabregas is spot on about Mainoo, Manchester United has been blessed
From Fabregas’ comments, it’s clear that he sees Mainoo as a generational talent, considering how he sees him as a positive for the sport.
He’s spot-on with everything he said, and it has never been clearer that the club’s priority should be to strengthen around Mainoo, but importantly that the teenager is who we should build around.
Mainoo is the kind of player who only comes around once in a generation and the fact he’s coming straight out of Carrington makes him even more special to every single United fan.
If United get it right and recruits correctly, it could be Mainoo who leads United back to the pinnacle of the game. Fabregas certainly seems to think it’s possible.