Ryan Giggs Praises Kobbie Mainoo's Potential Despite Manchester United Loss

Ryan Giggs sees something special in Kobbie Mainoo – even on a day when almost nothing went right for Manchester United.

The teenager started and finished a draining 90 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday, a derby that laid bare United’s flaws but also, in Giggs’ eyes, underlined Mainoo’s character.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, the former United winger broke down the youngster’s display and quickly homed in on what separates him physically.

“It’s not pace, it’s acceleration,” Giggs said. “So, he’s not quick-quick, but he has got that acceleration, and he’s, you know, strong physically. He’s a very, very good player.”

That burst over the first few yards, that ability to step away from pressure, is what caught Giggs’ eye. But it was Mainoo’s brain, not just his legs, that pushed the conversation towards one of United’s greatest midfielders.

Giggs drew a direct line between the teenager’s vision and that of Paul Scholes, suggesting Mainoo has the tools to grow into that kind of deep-lying orchestrator with an elite passing range. Asked outright whether the youngster could reach Scholes’ level of vision, Giggs did not hesitate.

“Yeah, I mean, that should be the first pass a midfielder looks at really, you know, ball in behind that 30-yard switch potentially,” he explained. “That ball forward should be the first pass that you think about. So, if he adds that to his game, as well as the dribbling as well as the short passing, then who knows?”

The message was clear: the foundations are already there. If Mainoo layers on that ambitious, penetrative passing – the early ball in behind, the big diagonal to flip the pitch – he moves into a different bracket.

Derby days rarely offer any hiding place, and Giggs recognised just how punishing the midfield battle became as City dominated long spells. He admitted he felt for Mainoo in the closing stages.

“I felt sorry for the last 10 minutes because he was still trying to do [too much]. He got the ball taken off him because he was still trying to do the right thing, and he just didn’t have the energy to do it,” Giggs observed.

The effort never dipped. The legs did.

Giggs framed that struggle as part of a brutal but invaluable education.

“As a... central midfielder for Man Utd, he’s still young, he’s still learning the game, and he’s having to learn on the job.”

Learning the job of a Manchester United midfielder, in the middle of a derby against City, with the ball and the burden both coming your way. That is the standard – and Mainoo, in Giggs’ eyes, is already meeting it.