Jermaine Jenas pays 'biggest compliment' to Kobbie Mainoo ahead of Manchester United vs Newcastle

Jermaine Jenas insists Kobbie Mainoo deserves his spot in the heart of Manchester United's midfield after an 'assured' performance against Everton.

Mainoo earned plenty of plaudits for an excellent performance in his first Premier League start in last week's 3-0 win at Goodison Park. The 18-year-old belied his years on a night filled with important defensive input and composed play on the ball.

Erik ten Hag decided to bench the midfielder against Galatasaray on Wednesday but brought him back into the starting line-up at Newcastle United. And Jenas insists the 'biggest compliment' he can pay the teenager is that he seemed to knit United's midfield together at such a young age.

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"I think the biggest compliment I can give to Mainoo is that he is one of the first Manchester United midfielders that I’ve seen go into a game, in particular against Everton, and not only look so assured but he's the one that knitted it all together for Manchester United," Jenas told TNT Sports.

"As a performance, there was something about the assurance this boy has in midfield and that intelligence defensively, switching on at the right moment. He added so much in one performance, I was very surprised he didn't play against Galatasaray.

"I hear this a lot with managers and people saying ‘it was the right decision to take him out of the firing line because he’s young’. I don't ever remember that being a benefit to me at any stage. I wanted to play all the time.

"For Manchester United right now, the attributes he’s shown in the game against Everton, he should be playing in that Manchester