Daniel Sturridge has explained how Kobbie Mainoo can go to ‘the next level’ after Manchester United’s thrilling Premier League victory over Liverpool.
Mainoo, who was cast aside by former United boss Ruben Amorim, scored the winner in a 3-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday.
Michael Carrick’s Manchester United raced into a two-goal lead at Old Trafford thanks to early goals from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.
A routine home win looked inevitable at the half-time interval but Liverpool made a strong start to the second-half, scoring twice through Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo.
The game was on the line at that point but United rescued back momentum and clinched a win that secures Champions League football through Mainoo’s 77th-minute goal.
England international Mainoo signed a contract extension with Manchester United during the week and celebrated his new deal by sealing the win over arch-rivals Liverpool.
Former England striker Sturridge was impressed by Mainoo’s performance against Liverpool and backed the 21-year-old to go to ‘the next level’.
Get personalised football updates every day
Sign up to our daily football newsletter and choose your team to get the latest news, rumours and more about your favourite team.
‘For Kobbie, it was a difficult time [under former manager Ruben Amorim,’ Sturridge said on Sky Sports. ‘Mentally, hearing your manager say “you’re up against Bruno Fernandes.”
‘Now, for him to come back into the squad week in and week out, he’s building some momentum. I would love to see him go to the next level.
‘I’d like to see him work on his explosiveness which he will get because he is only 21. And I want to see him bulk up.
‘Then, I think he will be strong and robust. He will be a guy in there who can run. I think he needs to work on his capacity to run.
‘I think Kobbie does have the capability to do that, but he doesn’t show it consistently. If he bulks himself up and gets explosive, we’re talking about a guy that can go to the next level.’
Discussing Mainoo’s revival since Amorim’s sacking, ex-Manchester United boss Roy Keane added: ‘It’s a great moment for him.
‘He’s had his challenges over the last few months. That’s the journey of any young player. He’s taken his opportunity. To score the winning goal for any local kid, it’s fantastic.
‘The last six months will be quite good for him. For a young player at a big club, he comes on the scene and getting all the headlines, doing well and then getting involved with England.
‘The last few months, people have been talking about him going out on loan, but I always said that sometimes you have to sit and learn, watch the game and the team.
‘In football, there are good and bad experiences and I’ll think he’ll learn from this last few months than when he first got into the team.
‘He’s had to mature, he’s got his new deal, he’s had to learn his trade. He’s a young player, he’s still learning, he’s got years before he even peaks.’
Mainoo, meanwhile, reflected on the ‘difficult’ spell he had at boyhood club Manchester United after sealing the win over Liverpool.
‘Happy to turn it [the season] around, it’s a credit to all our players and the manager as well,’ he said. ‘We still need to finish the season strong, this is not enough for us.
‘It was difficult of course, anytime you’re not playing football. I just tried to look forward as much as possible and to keep my head down.’
On Carrick’s role since taking over as interim manager, Mainoo added: ‘He’s played a huge part in it, all the confidence he gives all the players. You want to follow him and fight for him and die for him on the pitch.’
While Manchester United have secured Champions League football and are third with three games remaining, Liverpool stay fourth, level on points with fifth-placed Aston Villa.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.