Kobbie Mainoo sprung into action in the Man Utd dressing room (Image: Getty / X: @jr_fundss)
Kobbie Mainoo’s Man of the Match display in Saturday’s FA Cup final was followed up by a heart-warming moment in the dressing room, when the teenager was seen looking out for team-mate Amad Diallo.
Mainoo took his goal superbly against Manchester City as United survived a barrage of late pressure from the Premier League champions to secure their second trophy under Erik ten Hag with a deserved 2-1 victory.
On a day which saw youngsters excel, fellow United academy product Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring for United and 21-year-old winger Jeremy Doku found the net for City.
Mainoo’s assured performance was that of a player considerably older than 19, and the same can be said of his actions in the dressing room after the game. As Marcus Rashford began spraying champagne at his team-mates, who were posing for a photo behind the FA Cup trophy, Mainoo acted instantly to pull Amad out of the way.
Amad is a practicing Muslim, meaning he abides by strict rules on the consumption of alcohol. Mainoo’s quick thinking therefore saved him from an awkward situation as the rest of the United squad were drenched in fizz.
United fans are convinced they’ve got a future captain on their hands as Mainoo, since coming into the starting XI, has made a dazzling impression and set an example for the rest of the players.
Amad Diallo is a practicing Muslim who abides by strict rules on alcohol (Image: Getty)
Red Devils legend Paul Scholes showered praise on the teenager following Saturday’s FA Cup win. “Read a few comparisons between me and this kid last week… don’t waste your time, he is 10 times the player I was at 19,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Just love the way he receives the ball, the calmness, the awareness of what’s around him and of course big goals in big games. This boy is special… and he’s a f***ing Red. Laters.”
Mainoo has been named in England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad by Gareth Southgate and he is widely expected to make the final 26-man list for the tournament itself, having impressed at club level and in an international friendly against Belgium in March.
“I can’t think of England too much as I want to take all this in but I’m living in the moment,” Mainoo said while taking a break from celebrating on the Wembley pitch, before adding that his rise to stardom has been ‘amazing’.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1903743/man-utd-news-kobbie-mainoo-amad-diallo