‘10 times the player I was’ - Paul Scholes praises Man Utd star after FA Cup heroics v Man City

Paul Scholes has praised Kobbie Mainoo after Manchester United’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City on Saturday, claiming the midfielder is ‘10 times’ the player he was at 19.

The teenager scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the final against City, with Alejandro Garnacho and Jeremy Doku also on target. It’s been a meteoric rise for Mainoo this season, and he only made his first United start at the end of November.

Six months on, the boyhood red is an England international, a regular in Erik ten Hag’s side and put in a player-of-the-match display at Wembley against the likes of Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. Unsurprisingly, he’s a player who has received plenty of plaudits in recent weeks, and even a few comparisons, it appears, with Scholes.

But the 49-year-old, who won 11 league titles as a United player, said Mainoo has developed much quicker in precocious years. “Read a few comparisons between me and this kid last week… don’t waste your time, he is 10 times the player I was at 19,” the former midfielder wrote on social media.

“Just love the way he receives the ball, the calmness, the awareness of what’s around him and of course big goals in big games. This boy is special.”

Scholes also compared Sofyan Amrabat to ‘prime Gattuso’ after an impressive performance alongside Mainoo at the base of midfield. 

Meanwhile, United’s Wembley win not only means Ten Hag has won silverware in both seasons at the helm, but also confirms the team’s place in the Europa League next season.