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Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo boasts the best dribble success rate in Europe’s top five leagues so far.
Mainoo has started all three of United’s Premier League games so far against Fulham, Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool.
The Red Devils narrowly beat Fulham on opening day but suffered defeats against Brighton and Liverpool. The loss against Liverpool in particular was a bitter one to take, considering how poor Erik ten Hag’s men were at home.
The Merseysiders dominated proceedings from the start and never really got out of second gear as they managed a 3-0 victory.
Despite United’s sluggish start to the campaign, one player who still seems to be in good shape is young Mainoo.
Mainoo enjoyed a brilliant 2023/24 campaign that saw him break into the team and cement his place as an almost guaranteed starter. He capped a brilliant season by scoring in the FA Cup final win vs. Manchester City.
A stellar Euros tournament with England followed, in which the Carrington academy graduate played a key role for the Three Lions on their way to the final, where they eventually lost to Spain.
The Peoples Person recently pointed out that Mainoo has made 11 interceptions in United’s first three games. Only N’Golo Kante achieved the same feat in the 2020-21 season, highlighting just how brilliant the United no.37 has been defensively.
A new stat has emerged, further revealing just how good Mainoo has been on an individual level even amidst United’s struggles on the pitch.
According to statisticians WhoScored.com, Mainoo has the best dribble success rate (83.3%) of any player in Europe’s top five leagues so far this season!
It’s important to note that this analysis only considered players to have attempted at least ten take-ons.
Kobbie Mainoo has the best dribble success rate (83.3%) of any player in Europe’s top five leagues so far this season (10+ attempted). ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/P8gZdYRIJ2
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) September 5, 2024
Mainoo has attempted 12 dribbles, completing 10 of them.
To put his numbers into context, he has a better dribble success rate than Lamine Yamal (40.5%), Vinicius Junior (38.7%), Rodrygo (40%) and Kylian Mbappe (58.3%).
That Mainoo has the best dribble success rate signifies just how effective he is in getting past players and moving across the pitch.
Mainoo and his teammates return to action on September 14 when they travel to meet newly-promoted Southampton.
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