When Manchester United take on Real Madrid in a pre-season friєɴԀly in the States, the eyes of the world will probably be watching Jude Bellingham strut around the turf, following his £115 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Madrid this summer.
It’s an interesting dynamic for the powers that be atOld Traffordwith Bellingham, not too long ago, being shown around Carrington training ground by then chief executive Ed Woodward according to theManchester Evening News. United were in the midst of their big charm offensive to convince the midfielder that Manchester was the best place for his development.
The then 16-year-old decided against making the move to Old Trafford and instead chose Germany as his next destination with Dortmund signing the midfielder for £25 million according toSky Sports. Bellingham has since gone on to feature heavily for England at last winter’s World Cup and complete a stunning move toReal Madrid.
United would have been kicking themselves after seeing Bellingham move to Madrid, but they may have their own midfield maestro who could be an instrumental cog for years to come.
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Kobbie Mainoo vs Jude Bellingham
By no means am I suggesting they are comparable but there are certain similarities. Both have broken thɾօυɢҺ at young ages, both are midfielders and both have talent and maturity beyond their years.
Kobbie Mainoo has been superb in pre-season so far and will likely go up against Bellingham when the two go head-to-head on Thursday morning. Mainoo will do well to hold his own against such a talent like the former Birmingham City midfielder.
The midfielder certainly did hold his own against an Arsenal midfield that included another £100 million English midfielder, Declan Rice. He is more than capable of slotting in seamlessly and not looking out of place in men’s football.
