Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is one of the best young players in Europe.
Since breaking into Manchester United’s first-team under Erik ten Hag, Mainoo has become a regular starter for both club and country.
The 19-year-old broke Manchester City’s hearts at Wembley Stadium after doubling United’s lead in their 2-1 win during the FA Cup final last season.
So much so that Pep Guardiola guaranteed Manchester City to win the FA Cup this season just a day after his side’s shock defeat.
After Mainoo’s first Premier League start in Manchester United’s 3-0 victory against Everton, Gary Neville admitted on Sky Sports that “he looked like a Manchester City player.”
Kobbie Mainoo admits he still studies how Yaya Toure plays
The teenager certainly expresses the technical quality and tactical intelligence that a young player who has emerged from City’s academy would be expected to.
Fortunately for the Red Devils, it was them who produced the Stockport-born starlet.
In an interview with British GQ, Mainoo admitted that amongst the legendary midfielders he watches to improve his game, one of them is Manchester City legend Yaya Toure.
“I like to watch [Sergio] Busquets, the way he used to turn. Players like [Clarence] Seedorf, [Luka] Modric. Players like Yaya Toure, I like the way he used to play.”
Former Manchester United player-coach Tom Huddestone told SPORTbible that Mainoo instantly reminded him of a “younger version of Yaya Toure” when he first saw him play.
Much like Toure, the Englishman also plays in central midfield and one of his standout traits is his brilliant dribbling.
Another similarity that Mainoo shares with the Ivorian is how he can play as both a number eight as well as a holding midfielder.
Jack Grealish hailed Yaya Toure as one of the toughest players he has ever come up against during his career.
Shaun Wright-Phillips’ bold claim about Yaya Toure is that he is one of the most underrated players to have ever graced the league.
Former Man United midfielder Scott McTominay idolised Toure
Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay idolised Yaya Toure as well, as per his own admission, who is another Manchester United academy graduate.
The Scottish international said: “It’s always midfield players who were a similar height and a similar style to yourself you always watch growing up as a kid. When I was younger, I was a lot smaller so maybe like 5’10” so I used to watch players that height and then you can’t imagine yourself growing up and being the height that I am now.”
“I started watching people like [Zinedine] Zidane, Yaya Toure, similar sort of height and build, just tried to emulate what they do as best as I could do.”
Despite Mainoo and McTominay coming through the ranks at United, it seems like they could not help but admire Toure’s brilliance as a player.
It is telling that such is the respect Yaya Toure’s game demands to this day.
