Man Utd must rue losing a “wonderkid” who’s now worth as much as Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo’s valuation this season

Mainoo’s footballing journey started at Cheadle and Gatley Junior Football Club, just south of Manchester. He then joined United’s academy at nine and finally signed his first professional contract in 2022 at just 17.

The Stockport gem made his full debut for the first team in an FA Cup Fourth Round tie against Charlton Athletic last season, but this season has been his real breakthrough.

So far, the 18-year-old prodigy has made 20 appearances for the first team this season, 17 of which have been starts, and scored two goals, primarily from a defensive midfield position.

The most remarkable thing about the 5 foot 9 gem isn’t his technical ability – as impressive as it is – it’s his composure, as nothing seems to phase him, so much so that he has often looked like the senior central midfielder this season, showing up the likes of Casemiro and Scott McTominay.

United’s 4-3 win over Liverpool on Sunday is a perfect example of this. Despite it being possibly the biggest game in English football, the right-footed magician looked utterly at peace and even managed to make the Reds’ defence look silly a few times with his incredible close control.

Unsurprisingly, his age, temperament, skill, and potential have seen his valuation skyrocket in recent months. Rewarded with an England callup on Monday, the teen is now worth around €30m, or about £26m, according to the CIES Football Observatory. That’s brilliant for the Red Devils, although a youngster they lost for nothing just a few years ago is now worth just as much.

Angel Gomes’ transfer valuation after leaving Man Utd

The man in question is 23-year-old Angel Gomes, who left United for free after rejecting a new contract and joined French giants LOSC Lille in August 2020.

The promising midfielder spent his first year away from Old Trafford on loan with Portuguese club Boavista, where he enjoyed a reasonably successful season. He scored six goals and provided six assists in just 32 games, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 2.6 games in his first full season of senior football.

It was a return that earned him a place in Lille’s first team for the following season, where he made 30 appearances, scoring three goals and providing two assists. However, he only made 16 starts and spent most of the season playing as a left-sided midfielder.

Last year saw the English “wonderkid”, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, move back into a central role and start 33 games for Les Dogues – playing 39 overall – in which he once again scored three goals but returned a more impressive six assists.

So far, the 5 foot 6 gem has started 11 games as an attacking midfielder, 11 games as a central midfielder and nine games as a defensive midfielder and filling in wherever he’s needed in the other six games he’s come on as a substitute, scoring two goals and providing eight assists in the process.

This ability to play so many roles, and play them well at that, combined with his age and potential to get even better as the seasons keep coming, has seen the CIES Football Observatory value the former Red Devil at €30m – £26m – or the same as Mainoo.

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Ultimately, United did try to keep a hold of Gomes in 2020, but perhaps they should have made a more compelling pitch than they did as, based on his performances over the last few years, his valuation looks set to keep rising, and a team with both him and Mainoo in it would have been tremendously exciting.