Against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, Kobbie Mainoo started for Manchester United for the first time ever as a rookie.

Erik ten Hag chose the eighteen-year-old to replace Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended, in the midfield, and he did not let him down.

With the exception of a poorly timed slide challenge in the first half, Kobbie performed admirably in an antagonistic environment.

Ten Hag gave the Academy graduate a lot of credit, complimenting the midfielder following the game.

“If you are good enough, you are old enough,” said the boss in his post-match media briefing. “He proved that.

“When he gets used more often to those games, we will get even more joy from it. Because then his scanning and his speed of action, he can get such passes, three or four passes in and get switches in, and he is a player who can really hurt opponents.”

Six Academy grads participated in the match against Liverpool, including Mainoo. Alejandro Garnacho and Jonny Evans also started and had strong performances, and Scott McTominay captained the Reds for the first time in league history.

In the second half, Ten Hag substituted Dan Gore and Willy Kambwala, who has not yet made his senior debut, along with Marcus Rashford and Hannibal.

More young players had the chance to shine with the FA Youth Cup, which takes place at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Garnacho, Mainoo, and Gore all won the competition for the young Reds in 2022.