Rasmus Hojlund And Kobbie Mainoo, Erik Ten Hag's Bertalenta Generation Project At MU

Kobbie Mainoo midfielder became the star of Manchester United's victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. (X/@ManUtd)

JAKARTA - Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo became the star of Manchester United's victory after scoring in the last minute against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Striker Rasmus Hojlund did not hesitate to praise his close friend as a talented generation who brought MU back to shine.

The 2023/2024 Premier League match at the Molineux Stadium, Friday, February 2, 2024, early morning WIB, became a stage for MU young people. Hojlund, who had been barren for a long time, again, showed his ability to break into the opponent's goal.

The 20-year-old has not only scored but also made an assist completed by Marcus Rashford.

Interestingly, Rashford, who had not broken into the goal for a long time, was finally able to do his job well. Moreover, he was also in the spotlight because of clubbing. In fact, he did not give permission to practice because he admitted that he was not fit.

Apart from that, Mainoo is certainly a star. MU is sure to win through two goals from Rashford and Hojlund. Furthermore, midfielder Scott McTominay solidified the lead to 3-1.

However, Wolves refused to give up and managed to equalize to 3-3. Mainoo then appeared as a savior after scoring a goal in just a matter of a few minutes.

"You can see how calm he is when he has the ball. He is so relaxed. His quality is very visible when the ball is in his feet," said Hojlund.

"Now, he also shows his ability to score goals in the game. He is indeed a complete player," he said.

Hojlund is apparently close friends with this 18-year-old defensive midfielder. Incidentally they were both young so they became close when Hojlund arrived at Old Trafford earlier this season.

"We often enjoy togetherness. We spend time together when outside. We young players are indeed a small group in the team. So, we often chat with each other," said Hojlund.

"It's great that there are other young players in the team. We hope to build a new era at the club and want to continue together for the next years," he said.

MU's talented generation contains young players who are currently being built by Manager Erik ten Hag. The match against Wolves is proof of how young players start to show their abilities.

Apart from Hojlund and Mainoo, there are still 19th-year-old midfielders Omari Forson. This original MU product took part in MU's victory by providing assists to Mainoo.

Not only that, Ten Hag also included French defenders Willy Kambwala (19) and Amad Diallo Traore (21), who were previously loaned to Rangers and Sunderland. Finally, there is Alejandro Garnacho, a 19-year-old Argentine winger.

Ten Hag does put his trust in young players. When he handled Ajax Amsterdam, he had made Matthijs de Ligt, who was 19 years old at the time, captain of the team.

While training MU, Ten Hag repeatedly said about the 'project' that was being prepared. The project is none other than the talented young generation from the MU academy who will become the backbone of the senior team in the years to come.

Some of them have indeed appeared, such as Mainoo, plus young people who are imported from outside, such as Hojlund and Garnacho.

However, Ten Hag also faced Manchester United stakeholders who couldn't wait for the Red Devils to reap achievements.

In the aftermath, Ten Hag was placed on the brink because the team's performance was still unstable.