Danny Murphy has suggested that Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo is actually better than one of Chelsea’s high-profile players.
While Chelsea fans have enjoyed watching breakout seasons from Blues youngsters such as Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill, Man United have had their own rising star making a lot of noise at Old Trafford.
Kobbie Mainoo, who’s only aged 18, has gone from Man United academy product to full senior England international during this rollercoaster 2023/24 campaign.
The teenage central midfielder is now a key starter in Erik ten Hag’s XI every game.
READ MORE: Jill Scott picked Kobbie Mainoo in her 23-man England squad for this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament, but there was no room for any Chelsea players
Table of Contents
Kobbie Mainoo may be better than Chelsea midfielder
According to talkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy, Man United’s Mainoo may actually be a better footballer than Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo.
It’s quite a bold suggestion when you consider that it cost the Blues £115 million (Sky Sports) to sign Caicedo from Brighton last summer.
MORE CHELSEA STORIES
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old defensive midfielder is going through a very challenging debut year at Stamford Bridge.
When discussing Caicedo on talkSPORT (8 March), Murphy said: “My view is although he’s a decent player, and he will get a bit better, I still never saw the price tag. I couldn’t believe Liverpool were in for him for that money.
“I saw a player at Brighton who’s neat and tidy on the ball because they play to him all the time… Hes’s got neat and tidy feet, but he’s not creative. He’s more of a destroyer with his tenacity and bombing about. He’s not Declan Rice physicality. He’s not Rodri physicality. He’s a £30-40million player.
“Kobbie Mainoo, he’s in a chaotic Manchester United midfield that’s got no real help around him or legs. I’m not seeing that from Caicedo. You could argue Mainoo is a better footballer than Caicedo.”
Moises Caicedo must now prove critics wrong
When you become a £100m-player, the spotlight is going to be on you a lot more.
There’s plenty of people this year that have taken a swipe at Caicedo for his individuals levels.
For example, speaking via talkSPORT a couple of weeks ago, Graeme Souness insisted Caicedo needs to improve and start playing like a £100m man.
It’s a shame Romeo Lavia’s not been fit to allow the manager some rotation in midfield, but it doesn’t fully explain why Caicedo’s struggled to match his Brighton levels for most of the year.
