Carrick hails 'immense' Mainoo who showed his value to Man Utd despite new signings

Michael Carrick says how Kobbie Mainoo was "immense" for Manchester United in the win over Ipswich and "underpinned the performance of the team".

Mainoo made his first start of the season as United responded to last weekend's defeat at Hull with a 5-2 win at Old Trafford.

The 21-year-old played an important role as United took control of the midfield and eventually overwhelmed the newly promoted visitors.

And Carrick was delighted with what he saw from the United academy graduate.

"I think all round he was very, very good, for a first start back. We've managed him a little bit and we've got good midfielders so we've tried to make the best of the combinations but I thought Kobbie (....) was immense in the middle of the pitch," said the manager.

Mainoo's inclusion came after questions over United's midfield following the opening-day defeat.

Carrick had started summer signings Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos at Hull, but the pair struggled to establish control as United slipped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat.

“I thought he was fantastic today, Kobbie," continued Carrick. “It was nice for him to be home again and playing here with that confidence. It was his first start.”

Mainoo was brought into the side against Ipswich and helped provide greater composure in possession.

His performance also underlined the competition Carrick now has in midfield.

United have strengthened significantly in that area over the summer, with Tielemans, Santos and Carlos Baleba all arriving to give the manager more options.

But Mainoo's display was a timely reminder of his own quality.

Carrick revealed that the midfielder's pre-season and early weeks of the campaign had required careful management.

“Some of the boys have been away and had different levels of football at the World Cup; they’ve played different minutes, so we’ve had to manage that over the last couple of weeks," he said.

“To put in that performance today shows what Kobbie can do.”

The manager also stressed that United now have the luxury of being able to rotate their midfield options.

He continued: “We’re fortunate enough to have a really good midfield unit, and we can call upon different players at different times. I was really happy with the way he played today.”

Mainoo had opportunities to get on the scoresheet himself, with one of his efforts in the second half eventually leading to Fernandes completing his hat-trick.

But it was his overall display that caught Carrick's attention. United went into half-time level at 1-1 after recovering from an early setback.

Carrick said his side had controlled much of the opening period but identified areas where they could improve.

The United boss gave his players instructions at the interval about the spaces they could exploit, and his side produced a dominant second-half display.

“The boys deserve a lot of credit for the mentality today and how well they stuck together," he said.

“I thought the first half was okay and we controlled it. They had some moments and scored, but in the second half I thought we were really good.”