Andy Cole impressed with Noam Emeron and Kobi Mainoo during Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Leeds last week, suggesting the latter would have been more involved with the first team but for injury.
The pair were among several young Reds involved last Wednesday as United kicked off their pre-season campaign with a comfortable win in Oslo. Emeron opened the scoring midway through the second half before Joe Hugill fired over with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Mainoo started the game in the center of midfield and controlled the game with ease, winning possession in the middle of the park and spraying passes with intent. The 18-year-old has been touted as a potential breakout star for next season, with Cole backing the youngster to continue his development.
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“The boy who scored the first goal, Emeron. His energy, the way he picked up the ball and ran at people,” Cole told United in-house media team. “He was just positive, mentally.
“In the first half, the young central midfielder (Koby Mainoo) was very good. I spoke to someone who said if he hadn’t been injured he might have played a few games at the end of last season.
“I was watching it the other day and I thought, ‘I can see why.’ He looked like a really good player.
“These kids are playing like they’ve been there for a long time and that’s what I liked (in the Leeds game). I could sit here and say the future is bright, but you never know where these kids are going to end up. But what they showed on Wednesday was a big, big positive.