Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes lavished praise on Kobbie Mainoo after the teenager shone on his full Premier League debut against Everton on Sunday evening.

Alejandro Garnacho was handed the man of the match award after his spectacular bicycle kick opened the scoring, However, Fernandes felt that Mainoo’s composure on the ball, vision and passing accuracy during the game at Goodison Park meant that the 18-year-old should have been given the accolade:

“For me, he is the man of the match. He put in a great performance. He is comfortable with the ball and never makes a mistake. For his age, he has so much qualities. He sees things before others.”

Fernandes was certainly not the only person who had something to say about Mainoo’s display at the weekend.

Manager Erik ten Hag, who had decided to put the midfielder in from the start, was delighted to see him play so well, while pundits, including Gary Neville and Roy Keane, were equally effusive in their praise.

Mainoo has recovered from a pre-season setback

The youngster has already turned heads with his performances in pre-season but he missed the start of the campaign after picking up an ankle injury.

Following his return to fitness over the past few weeks, Mainoo has gradually been brought back into the first-team fold, playing a couple of games in the UEFA Youth League and another in the EFL Trophy.

Ten Hag has clearly been waiting for the right time to reintroduce the player, having selected him as an unused substitute in United’s last three Premier League fixtures. Now that Mainoo has taken his chance with his eye-catching display against Everton, he will be looking to feature more prominently in upcoming matches.

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