Erik ten Hag Proven Right as Comments About Kobbie Mainoo After FA Cup Win Resurface

• Erik ten Hag was spot-on with his warning regarding Kobbie Mainoo after Manchester United’s FA Cup triumph
• Mainoo scored in the final on Saturday, May 25, as United beat their neighbours Manchester City to win England’s oldest competition
• The young midfielder’s performances earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming Euro 2024

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been proven right about comments he made on Kobbie Mainoo on May 25 2024.

Mainoo had a breakthrough season at Old Trafford in 2023/2024, summing up an impressive campaign with his side’s opening goal in the FA Cup final.

The 19-year-old has since earned an England call-up and is set to feature in his first major tournament for the Three Lions. Some pundits compare him to the great Paul Scholes.

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Ten Hag’s comments on Mainoo

Despite his obvious potential, Mainoo became a victim of his top performances for United after experiencing criticism following England’s defeat to Iceland on Friday, June 7.

The Three Lions were thoroughly underwhelming in their last friendly game before the start of the Euros, with the Stockport-born teenager blamed by some publications for apparently having a part in Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson's first-half goal.

The Guardian only gave Mainoo a rating of four out of 10, saying he lacked ‘physicality and nous’.

Two weeks earlier, Ten Hag was wary of the possibility his young midfielder could be subjected to criticism after one bad game.

After the Red Devils’ FA Cup win, the United boss urged fans and media to keep calm, saying:

"You are very good here in England to push players and managers very high, and then you hammer them after one or two bad performances. I think we need to keep it very calm."

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Mainoo responds to jeers from fans

After the Iceland defeat, Mainoo classily admitted his side was good enough and urged his teammates to give a better performance at the Euros.

“We know the quality we have in the changing room and now we just have to show the fans we’re good enough and we can compete in Germany," the wonderkid said, per The Mirror.

I think going into a tournament after a loss can be a good thing. We’ve got a point to prove now to ourselves because we know we’re better than that and play a lot better football.

What next for Mainoo?

With England under pressure to finally ‘bring it home’, players like Mainoo should expect the criticism to continue.

The 19-year-old, who is part of Southgate’s final 26-man squad for the tournament, will hope to be part of the starting XI when The Three Lions face Serbia on Sunday, June 16.

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Top 5 favourites to win Euros

Sports Brief also reported on some of the favourites to win the upcoming Euros, with 2020 winners Italy missing from the top five.

Germany is one of the big guns in this year’s tournament, as Die Mannschaft will look to make amends for 2020 when they failed to get past the Round of 16.