'He reminds me of Modric' - Nemanja Vidic hails 'fantastic' Manchester United player after Liverpool FC draw

Manchester United’s academy graduates took centre-stage again during their captivating 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

It looked like Liverpool would runaway with things when Luis Diaz put his side ahead in the first-half, but stunning strikes from Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes flipped the game on its head. United might have held on for a famous win had Aaron Wan-Bissaka not conceded a cheap penalty, which Mohamed Salah dispatched with ease.

Despite another disastrous first-half display, United supporters will certainly look at the positives, in particular the performances of academy duo Willy Kambwala and Mainoo.

Kambwala earned plenty of plaudits for his strong showing at centre-back but it was the performance of Mainoo that drew high praise from Vidic after the match.

“Mainoo has been fantastic, especially his awareness in these areas,” Vidic told Premier League productions. “He reminds me sometimes of Modric. He always hears who is behind him. You can see he did the first touch, straight away moved to the side and a great strike. It’s difficult to defend that.”

Mainoo’s strike was the pick of the bunch, as he curled United into the lead with a stunning effort in front of the Stretford End. To make the moment even better, it was also his first senior goal at Old Trafford, and he was delighted to score it at such an important time.

“Of course it’s an unbelievable feeling my first professional Old Trafford goal,” he told Match of the Day afterwards. “At the end of the day we didn’t come away with the three points so can’t be too happy. It felt good so I think I got a bit ahead of myself when it went in!”