Kobbie Mainoo best used as a No. 8, as Manchester United midfielder gets praise from ex-Liverpool and Spain star Thiago Alcantara - 'I love him'
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Updated 05/07/2026 at 10:20 GMT+1
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Former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has praised Kobbie Mainoo, identifying the Manchester United youngster's best position in an in-depth discussion with Rio Ferdinand. Thiago lauded the academy product for persevering with his career at his boyhood club.
Kobbie Mainoo has been biding his time for the chance to shine this World Cup
Image credit: Getty Images
Mainoo - who is currently on England duty at the FIFA World Cup - has rapidly become one of Manchester United's tactical conundrums, offering clear technical quality but less certainty over where he fits most naturally.
While the club have long sought midfield reinforcement - particularly a deeper-lying presence to succeed Casemiro - Mainoo’s emergence has complicated that picture.
Having recently signed a new long-term contract, he remains firmly part of the club's first-team plans, yet his role continues to fluctuate between deeper build-up duties and a more advanced, connective midfield function under Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and now Michael Carrick.
Speaking as a guest on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Thiago made his preference clear, arguing that Mainoo's skill set is best suited to a more advanced midfield role.
"I love him," he said. "I would play him as a No. 8 because he's capable to defend, be aggressive, but then, with the ball, he's able to help the defenders to bring the ball to those who can decide games.
"He's able to dribble, arrive with the ball inside the box to score goals, so he's a No. 8. The way he behaves on the pitch, he couldn't be a No. 10 because of the amount of pressing from the defenders.”
He added: ”You have to leave him in the middle as a No. 8 knowing that there's someone behind him kicking someone. If you give him the ball, he can progress with it and arrive in the box.
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"If the No. 6 needs some help, he can come back, but he's young. Sometimes, because of the motivation to play more games at a young age, you just overdo things.
"Sometimes, he wants to do more than he should do in the game, but for his age, he's doing amazingly well.”
Mainoo’s versatility has made him difficult to define within a fixed system, though performances and fan sentiment have only intensified calls for him to be given greater responsibility on the biggest stage.
Some supporters have even pointed to international selection debates, including suggestions that he should start in a World Cup last-16 tie against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, as evidence of his growing stature.
Thiago also reflected more broadly on the importance of nurturing young talent rather than overburdening it, warning against expecting too much too soon from emerging players.
Mainoo, he suggested, is already operating at a high level but still needs careful development to fully refine his game.
'Yamal has everything to become best in world'
The interview also touched on Thiago's admiration for other rising stars, including Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who he believes already possesses the traits to reach the very top of the game.
”When I retired, I went back to Barcelona and I trained with them to see just how good the players are coming through and the patterns they have," he revealed.
"In small-sided games, he made the difference. His team would win, and he was incredible even then, going faster with the ball than ever before and still making the right decision. He has everything to become the best in the world.”
Thiago added that Yamal’s rapid rise is underpinned by a rare combination of instinct and maturity, though he stressed the importance of balance in a young player’s development.
"You need to be consistent with your routines, but you also need to be free. You need to find this balance between hard work and being an artist," he said.
"When you are young, it is more the artist that is coming through than the hard worker… You just have to level it up, and I feel he already has the aura."
When Thiago could have joined Man Utd
In a wide-ranging interview, Ferdinand also revisited the moment Thiago could have joined United, reflecting on a transfer saga that ultimately never materialised during the midfielder’s departure from Barcelona.
David de Gea had informed Ferdinand that the Spain international was set to leave the Catalan club, with a move to Bayern Munich under Pep Guardiola emerging as his ultimate destination.
But, as Ferdinand recalled, United briefly explored the possibility of bringing him to Old Trafford.
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Thiago was team-mates with David de Gea at international level
Image credit: Getty Images
”There was an opportunity for us to speak to you to come to Manchester United,” Ferdinand said of his conversation with De Gea.
”David told me you had around 48 hours for Man Utd to make a decision if they wanted to bid for you. I told him that I knew he was a good player and I knew that we needed him.
"I spoke to the guys at the club, I spoke to David Moyes and I spoke to Ed Woodward [former chief executive], but they went in another direction. I was going crazy thinking, ‘you can’t let this guy go.’”
Thiago reflected on the episode with a wry perspective, suggesting the context at Old Trafford at the time made a move unlikely.
"It was at a time when it felt like the club were fighting itself. David Moyes built a team of tall players, up here and I would have been down here [gestures his smaller size],” he said.
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"But Pep Guardiola was the reason I went to Bayern. At his farewell lap at Barcelona, he spent the entire time walking around the pitch with me talking about the future and how I could be the player he would want in the midfield.
"I remember thinking at the time that from the moment this guy took his next job, I’m probably going with him."
Thiago would go on to make 235 appearances for Bayern Munich over seven seasons, winning a haul of major honours before completing a £20 million move to Liverpool in 2020. His time at Anfield was later disrupted by injury, leading to his retirement in 2024 at the age of 33.
'Henderson makes everyone better'
Elsewhere in the conversation, Thiago also offered insight into the importance of influence and standards within elite squads, highlighting the role of experienced players in raising performance levels.
While some questioned Jordan Henderson's inclusion in Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad, Thiago argued such figures are often essential to a team’s internal balance.
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England midfielder Jordan Henderson is part of the World Cup squad
Image credit: Getty Images
”Why is he there? Why not... he makes all the players better,” he said.
"All the players better, because if you are going to the national team it is because your standards are high, and he doesn’t allow any of the players to get below their standards. This is why Jude Bellingham is performing better, it's why Harry Kane is still at the top of his level.
"It's why Elliot Anderson is now in the midfield with Declan Rice and is performing as well as he ever has, so this kind of player you need in the squad.
"Jordan is behind everyone, and he has made this team better. He would push you as hard as he can without hurting you in order to make you better. He would fight for me, and so I would fight for him.”
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