What Paul Scholes once said about Newcastle target Kobbie Mainoo will blow fans away
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Charlie Grace
Tue 16 September 2025 17:30, UK
Comments that Paul Scholes made about Manchester United youngster and Newcastle United target Kobbie Mainoo have recently resurfaced, much to the interest of Magpies fans.
Mainoo wowed in a short cameo as Man United lost heavily to Manchester City on Sunday, with pressure mounting on United boss Ruben Amorim.
Amorim has been criticised for his use of Mainoo, which Gary Lineker described as “baffling,” with the 20-year-old yet to start a Premier League game this season.
Man United’s loss to Man City stung in many ways, but seeing Amorim’s side lose the midfield battle once again with Mainoo sat on the bench was particularly frustrating for United fans.
Credit: Imago
Mainoo submitted a loan request at Man United late in the summer transfer window, but the club refused to sanction the move, intending for the Carrington graduate to stay and fight for his place instead.
Posting on his Instagram, Paul Scholes spoke about Mainoo in 2024, saying: “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.
This boy is special…”
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Mainoo, who has been linked to Newcastle United, is a fan favourite at Man United due to his journey through the club’s youth academy and the instant impact he made in the first team during the 2023-24 season.
Amorim has said that Mainoo is currently facing the daunting task of displacing Man United’s club captain, Bruno Fernandes, if he wishes to start games for the club.
As United’s midfield continues to get overrun with Amorim testing combinations like Fernandes and Casemiro, and Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, many have wondered why Mainoo doesn’t get more of a chance.
Kobbie Mainoo 2023-24Goals3Assists1Shot-creating actions per 901.87Progressive passes per 902.99Kobbie Mainoo’s breakout season (FBref)
Having controlled England’s midfield at the 2024 European championships and held down the position under Erik ten Hag, one wonders what it is that Amorim doesn’t like about the midfielder.