Kobbie Mainoo reveals role Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played in 'crazy' Manchester United moment

Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has been one of the club's biggest success stories in recent years.

Kobbie Mainoo has revealed it was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that gave him his very first taste of what life could be like as a first-team player at Manchester United, inviting him to rub shoulders with the club's senior stars.

The 19-year-old has been one of the biggest success stories to have come out of Old Trafford in the last few years, going from making his full Premier League debut to starting a European Championship final for England in less than a year.

Mainoo was fast-tracked to the first-team by former United manager Erik ten Hag, who gave the Stockport-born midfielder his debut when the Reds beat League One side Charlton Athletic 3-0 at the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup in January 2023.

However, the midfield ace has now revealed that former United boss Solskjaer once gave him the opportunity to play at Old Trafford in a behind-closed-doors friendly prior to his exit in November 2021.

"It was a behind-closed-doors friendly at Old Trafford and I had just played a couple of days before," Mainoo told TNT Sports. "My Under-18s coach came to me and said, 'the first team need a player. Is your body okay'?

"I was like, 'yeah'!

"Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the coach at the time. I just went in and got 20 minutes and it was just crazy. That was my first ever experience. I don't know If I'd even trained with the first team at that point. It was just crazy seeing [Edinson] Cavani and players like that."

A boyhood United fan, Mainoo lived the dream of scoring for the Reds in last season's FA Cup final at Wembley, helping them beat Manchester City 2-1. But it is winning the Premier League that remains his ultimate goal.

He added: "I want to win the Premier League with United. We owe it to the fans."