Mainoo: ‘Feels like United are one win away’ from turning things around ahead of Roma
Manchester Untied and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo insists that ‘it feels like we’re one win away’ from turning things around after a difficult period for the Premier League side heading into Tuesday’s Champions League test against Roma.
Mainoo joined United head coach Michael Carrick for a pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon ahead of their visit from Roma in the Champions League, which kicks off at 20.00 GMT on Tuesday evening.
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Despite the upcoming test against Roma, most of the questions that went Mainoo and Carrick’s way were about United and the difficulty that they have faced over the last few weeks. They have lost three games in a row, a run that started with a 4-1 Champions League defeat away against Como, and have now gone nine matches without a win across all competitions.
Roma, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in Serie A after 10 matches. They have four points after three matches in the Champions League this season with one win, one draw and one loss on their record.
Mainoo speaks ahead of Manchester United vs. Roma
“It’s been a tough season, we haven’t got the results we wanted, but we need to look forward now. It feels like we’re one win away from changing it,” said Mainoo at the beginning of his pre-match press conference on Monday.
“I’ve been at this club for a long time and know there will be ups and down. You expect bumps, but the best thing about them is you’re to bounce back from them.
“I feel like our way to repay that is to be behind the manager on and off the pitch, fight as a team.
“In these tough times, you cannot expect the fans to 100% of the time be happy when we’re not putting out the results. We owe it to them to get better results.”
Mainoo feels that even though this is not a particularly easy period for Manchester United, this is still an opportunity to learn and grow.
“I feel like in every period of my career I’ve tried to take positives from them, even when I haven’t been playing. I have learned things.”
And where does he see himself improving as a player?
“I want to impose myself more on games, and I’ve taken more responsibility with the ball. I have to have belief in myself and impose myself even in these tough times.”
He concluded: “I think United is a huge club, so a lot of people know the values this club holds. And that’s been passed down by the people who have worked here and played here. I feel I take some responsibility for that, spreading the word about what those values are, having come through the academy. And I plan to send that message for hopefully a long period of time.”
