He costs only € 800,000; what Mainoo did against Declan Rice and impacts

Manchester United faced Arsenal in the first friendly game in the club’s preseason USA Tour and the football fans finally had the time to see some of the big names in English football on the pitch of the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. One of those players was Declan Rice, who arrived this summer to Arsenal for 115 million from West Ham, becoming the most expensive player in Gunner’s history.

In this sense, Declan Rice played the role of defensive midfielder in Mikel Arteta’s line up, which included Odegaard and Havertz ahead of him. The English international faced an unexpected rival, who became one of the big names in the game. We talk about the English wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo, who was the defensive midfielder at Manchester United, performing a similar role for the Red Devils to that of Rice at Arsenal.

The former Manchester United young player, who is valued at only € 800,000 by Transfermarkt, was a great sensation on the pitch, and many fans commented on his performance once the game finished, as Erik Ten Hag also pleased the young star at the after game press conference. "Manchester United are known for giving young players a chance. He plays with confidence. I really liked his performance”, Ten Hag said.

The player sweeped Rice in the game stats

In this sense, Mainoo was better than Rice in most of the game stats, sweeping completely the most expensive player in this Premier League summer transfer market. Mainoo completed higher pass accuracy, more long passes, more ground duels won, and ball touches than Rice, which has immediately impacted the fans and it could be a clear indicator that the Manchester United wonderkid can have a great future ahead.