"He looked like a Man City player" - Gary Neville claims Pep Guardiola would love to have Manchester United star in his team

Manchester United legend Gary Neville waxed lyrical about Kobbie Mainoo, claiming Pep Guardiola would want the 18-year-old in his Manchester City midfield.

Mainoo put in a brilliant performance in his first Premier League start for the Red Devils. He helped them defeat Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday, November 26.

The England U19 international put in an assured performance as the team's No. 6. He had a pass accuracy of 83%, made three recoveries, won five duels, and made two interceptions during his 72 minutes on the pitch. He also produced a goal-line clearance in the first half to keep his side in the game.

Neville was left impressed, telling Sky Sports (via METRO):

"It was impressive and there’s no point getting carried away by it because the reality is he’s got 17 or 18 years in front of him and he’s got a lot of work to do."

"But sometimes when you see a player come in for the first time and the way in which the temperament, he’s obviously got technical ability and skill, you don’t play for Manchester United in the first place if you haven’t got that, you don’t get picked by Erik ten Hag if you haven’t got that, but what you don’t know is how they’re going to handle it."

Neville lauded Mainoo for performing well under the pressure at Goodison Park and from Everton, saying:

"He’s gone in here at Goodison Park, in what could have been the most ferocious atmospheres for many a year in a hostile environment, and he looked class. We know he’s class, we know he’s got class, he’s got that ability, but he looked class in that environment."

"I always judge players when it’s the most difficult part of the game. When Manchester United had their most difficult period in that first half just before half time for 20 minutes I thought he was the only player who showed up, the only player who still looked like himself."

He concluded:

"The biggest compliment I can pay him, and it hurts to say this, I hope people can take this in the right spirit… he looked like a Manchester City player. Honestly, I was watching him and thinking, ‘that’s a player that Pep Guardiola will be looking at and thinking, ‘I want him in my midfield, that’s what my midfield players do’."

Mainoo suffered a serious ankle injury during pre-season, sidelining him for over three months. He will aim to build off the momentum from his Premier League debut in Manchester United's next fixture at Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League (Wednesday, November 29).

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Manchester United secured an impressive 3-0 win against Everton in the Premier League

Manchester United played in hostile conditions at Goodison Park and were the second-best team for large periods of the game. However, they were able to dig deep to secure an impressive 3-0 win against Everton on Sunday.

Alejandro Garnacho broke the deadlock in the third minute with a stunning bicycle kick. Marcus Rashford converted his penalty in the 56th minute after Ashley Young fouled Anthony Martial in the box. Martial then sealed all three points with a good finish 19 minutes later.

Manchester United have now won five of their last five league games despite not playing to the best of their abilities. They are sixth in the standings with 24 points from 13 games, six points behind leaders Arsenal.