“He was my favorite player” - Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo names his football idol
Manchester United's young sensation Kobbie Mainoo named former Barcelona and Brazil superstar Ronaldinho his footballing idol.
The 43-year-old ex-Paris Saint-Germain attacker is widely considered one of the best footballers of all time. He made 547 appearances in his senior club career, bagging 197 goals and 166 assists across competitions.
Ronaldinho won La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League once with the Catalan side, while lifting Serie A once with AC Milan. He's also won the Ballon d'Or award and the World Cup once each, scoring 33 goals from 97 caps for Brazil
When asked about his idol growing up, Mainoo said in a recent interview (via @centredevils):
"My idol? Growing up, it was Ronaldinho. He’s my favourite player."
As for the Red Devils' breakout star, he's established himself as a starter under Erik ten Hag this season. The England under-19 international has played 12 Premier League matches this campaign, bagging one goal and no assists.
Mainoo, however, plays a different role compared to his footballing hero. The former is a defensive midfielder who has impressed many through his composure and maturity in the role.
Expect the youngster to feature in Manchester United's upcoming fifth-round FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday (February 28).
Erik ten Hag responds to Jamie Carragher's criticism of Manchester United's defense
Pundit Jamie Carragher slammed Manchester United's defense following their 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday (February 24). After this loss, the Liverpool legend claimed that the Red Devils' previous results covered their defensive deficiencies.
Before the Fulham defeat, the Manchester side had won four league games in a row. However, they allowed Luton Town 22 attempts (2-1, February 18) and Aston Villa to register 23 shots (2-1, February 11) in their previous two games.
Defending his team, Ten Hag said (via Sky Sports):
"Some analysts are objective in their comments, [offer] very good advices, some are very subjective - Jamie Carragher is one of them.
"For the first moment he is criticising and now he wants to make his point. In the first half an hour [vs Fulham] he had a point. Fulham surprised with their midfield setup and we had to find a solution. We did after half an hour."
He added:
"I wasn't pleased with the defensive performance, especially down the left side and that has everything to do with willingness, spirit and passion. That was good in previous weeks, therefore we won football games. Footballers are not robots, sometimes they have bad days."
Currently, Manchester United are sixth in the league standings, eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. They travel to Manchester City for their next league match on Sunday (March 3).