For Kobbie Mainoo, it was a sign of things to come.
High summer at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and a record crowd for football of 82,262. Manchester United against Arsenal in a July friendly and all the talk surrounded the Gunners’ new £100million midfielder Declan Rice.
But by the end of United’s 2-0 win, the chatter was about Mainoo after the 18-year-old had impressed with his passing ability, maturity and composure on the ball.
“It’s fantastic,” United manager Erik ten Hag said of a player called up to the England squad eight months later for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
“Manchester United is famous for always bringing young players up and it can be done. But we have to see.
“This year, he showed it in spring, then he got injured. We are really happy.”
It was not long, however, before Ten Hag was unhappy again as Mainoo suffered a nasty ankle injury against Real Madrid in the next game of United’s pre-season tour.
Mainoo did not return to first-team action until the end of November, curtailing progress that had seemed inevitable from the moment he joined United’s Under-18 squad in 2021.
Eligible to play for Ghana, where both his parents come from, Mainoo was capped by England from U17 to U19 level and is a son of Stockport like Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
But it was the red half of Manchester, not the blue, that Mainoo headed for at the age of nine after starting his youth career at Cheadle & Gatley junior football club.
Mainoo played a key role as United won 2022 FA Youth Cup, their first success in the competition for more than a decade.
He was named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year at Old Trafford, claiming an award won previously by Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville.
Mainoo celebrated by signing his first professional contract and made his senior debut in a Carabao Cup victory over Charlton in January 2023.
A Premier League debut came off the bench against Leicester the following month and he has really kicked on after that pre-season injury.
The teenager has been a model of consistency in United’s inconsistent season, whether in a defensive midfield role or slightly further forward, and offering hope that better days lie ahead at Old Trafford.
Mainoo scored his first goal in the FA Cup at Newport, a Premier League winner in the dying seconds of a 4-3 classic at Wolves and has now made over 20 first-team appearances.
By the time his close control, vision and ability to resist a fierce Liverpool press had stood out in Sunday’s 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win at Old Trafford, the clamour for him to be included in an England squad was irresistible.
“Come on, man. Come on. Man was immense, gosh,” said former England striker and ITV pundit Ian Wright.
Although some will see Mainoo as too young for a Euro 2024 brief this summer – he does not turn 19 until next month – England have experience of turning to youth at major tournaments.
Theo Walcott went to the 2006 World Cup at the age of 17 and Jude Bellingham shone at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar aged 19.
The hope for Mainoo now is that he will be joining Bellingham in Germany this summer.
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
'Right guy at the right time' - Amorim confident of changing Man Utd's fortunes
Ruben Amorim believes he is the "right guy at the right time" to turn Manchester United's fortunes around.
The 39-year-old signed a two-and-a-half-year deal earlier this month to keep him at Old Trafford until June 2027, replacing Erik ten Hag after he was sacked in October.
Amorim is the sixth permanent United manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, having left Sporting CP to take charge during the international break.
He won two Primeira Liga titles as Sporting head coach as well as two Taca da Liga trophies, while he led the club to a perfect start in the league this season, winning all 11 of their games.
United sit 13th in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to Ipswich Town on 15 points, though they are just four points behind Chelsea in third.
Amorim recognised the size of the task ahead of him in Manchester but is confident he can make a change.
"I'm a little bit of a dreamer and I believe in myself, and I believe in the club," he said during his first press conference.
"I think we have the same idea, the same mindset and that can help.
"I truly believe in the players; I know you don't believe a lot, but I do. I want to try new things. You guys don't think it's possible, I do.
"Call me naive, but I believe I am the right guy at the right time. I truly believe I am the right guy."
Aged 39 years and 302 days, Amorim will be the youngest to take charge of his first match for the Red Devils since Wilf McGuinness in August 1969 (31y 288d).
United have won just four of their 11 league games so far this season, and have struggled in front of goal, netting just 12 times so far.
Expected to implement his favoured 3-4-3 formation, Amorim admitted it would take time for the club to adapt and has asked for patience as the players get used to his tactics.
"I know at Manchester United we have to win games. We need a lot of time because it's a tough league, we have to improve a lot to try to win the title," he added.
"We have to change the physical aspect of the team. I don't know how long it will take."
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