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Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga has compared Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo with Juventus superstar Paul Pogba.
Mainoo, 18, has emerged as one of the most promising midfielders to come out of the Red Devils' youth pipeline in the recent times. He made his professional debut in United's's 3-0 EFL Cup quarter-final win over Charlton Athletic last January after shining in the youth ranks.
A right-footed box-to-box midfielder blessed with passing, dribbling, and work-rate, the Englishman was included in Erik ten Hag's plans for this season. However, the 2022-23 EFL Cup winner has failed to make an appearance due to an ankle injury picked up in pre-season.
During a recent interview with the Mirror, Elanga was asked to name his choice for the next big academy star at Manchester United. He replied:
"Kobbie Mainoo. He is one of my close guys that I still speak to at Manchester United and I believe he is next the top one, his talent is unreal. He has got everything and I just hope United can look after him really well and let him flourish. He is a top player."
Likening him to ex-Manchester United star Pogba, Elanga continued:
"When I played with him in the academy, I always thought he had similar attributes to Paul Pogba. They are not the same player but just the way he moves and they can both do everything, defensive, offensive, he has a mixture of everything and is really good on and off the ball."
Mainoo, who has represented England at U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels so far, could force his way into Ten Hag's plans this campaign. He could pop up as an option for his team as both Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have shown some signs of aging in the past couple of months.
Paul Merson provides damning Manchester United claim after home loss to rivals City
Following Manchester United's 3-0 Premier League home loss to Manchester City, Arsenal great Paul Merson opined on the contest. He claimed that the Red Devils are below their rivals' level, writing on X:
"Wow, that was a one sided derby. Man Utd are a million miles away from Man City."
Erik ten Hag's outfit, who are eighth in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 15 points from 10 matches, produced a below-par performance against City. Erling Haaland scored twice on either side of the break, while Phil Foden slotted in a 80th minute goal at Old Trafford.
Manchester City, who are currently third with 24 points, registered 60% possession during their recent away trip. They produced 10 shots on target to their rivals' three and completed 542 passes to United's 316.
