Manchester United hasn’t had the best of seasons lately; their Champions League campaign ended in tragedy, and right now, it seems like they won’t be able to qualify for the tournament next year.

Nonetheless, there have been some positive moments, such the FA Cup victory over Liverpool and Kobbie Mainoo’s rise to prominence.

The immensely gifted young player’s value has skyrocketed as a result of his amazing play with the Red Devils this season.

Manchester United’s mainoo, Liverpool Varane
The academy star is actually already valued at the same amount as a player the team sold in 2019, a move that has since been viewed as a brilliant one.

This season’s value of Kobbie Mainoo

Although Mainoo made his United debut last season, the general football audience was uninterested in him after just 87 minutes of play in three outings.

Kobbie Mainoo’s Complete Manchester United Debut

January 2023: Manchester United 3 – 0 Charlton Athletic

GK: Tom Heaton

RB: Diogo Dalot

Harry Maguire, CB

Lisandro Martínez, CB

Tyrell Malacia, LB

CM: Fred

Scott McTominay, CM

RM: Antony

Kobbie Mainoo, CAM

Alejandro Garnacho, LM

Anthony Elanga, ST

For the young Englishman, this year has been quite another tale. Over the course of 20 games, he has accrued 1417 minutes of first-team play, and he hasn’t just been making up numbers—he has been excelling.

Given that Ten Hag has mostly utilised the 18-year-old as a defensive and centre midfielder, his two goals are expected. The one thing that was unexpected, at least from people who didn’t know him, is how calm he is.

For instance, the Red Devils’ match against Liverpool on Sunday was likely their biggest of the season, but the star player from Stockport, who was born in the city, appeared completely unaffected by it all, carrying on as if it was his 230th game rather than his 23rd.

Earlier in the season, Erik ten Hag noted this tremendously amazing aspect of his game when he commented, “He is very talented.” Despite his hard effort, he appears incredibly composed. For his age, he is extremely mature. His calm demeanour and grasp of the game are what he offers the team.”

Shaw, Mainoo, Luke, and Manchester, United
The right-footed gem’s recent England call-up and skyrocketing worth indicate that he is headed for great things in the game.

The young player is valued at approximately €30 million or £26 million by the CIES Football Observatory, which is impressive given his age and coincidentally the same amount paid for a former Red Devil who was sold at the perfect moment in 2019.

Romelu Lukaku’s value for the current campaign

Romelu Lukaku, a Belgian international, is the man in question. To put it politely, he has had an unusual career since leaving United in August 2019 to sign with Inter Milan for a reported £73 million.

United Premier League viewpoint from Lukaku Man
Although the Antwerpen-born poacher’s 42 goals and 13 assists in 96 Red Devils games was respectable, his 64 goals and 16 assists in just 95 Nerazzurri games throughout the 2019–2020 and 2020–21 seasons was beyond ridiculous.

His form was so impressive in those two years that Chelsea, his previous team, decided to break their transfer record at the time and pay an incredible £97.5 million to bring him to Stamford Bridge in August 2021.

The wheels soon came off, even though he scored three goals in his first three league games and the Blues had a respectable start to the season. He consented to an idiotic interview with Sky Italia in December during which he bemoaned the conditions at Stamford Bridge, chastised Thomas Tuchel, and expressed his wish to rejoin the San Siro. After that, it was all over.

He returned to Inter on loan for the next season after an extremely disappointing 45 games in west London, where he managed just 15 goals and 2 assists. His bridges were severely burned.

Lukaku-Chelsea-Romelu
Considering everything he had been through the season before, his second spell with the blue and black half of Milan wasn’t quite as productive as the first, but 14 goals and seven assists in 37 games was still rather good.

But at the end of the season, it was disclosed that he had been in talks with Juventus regarding a possible transfer the following season, which posed a serious issue considering the intense rivalry between the two teams. The 30-year-old was subsequently violently deserted by the Inter supporters, and after the Old Lady also lost interest in him as a result of fan pressure, he was forced to look for a new team.

Fortunately for him, AS Roma under Jose Mourinho chose to take a risk on him, and thus far, it has proven beneficial for both sides. He has made 37 appearances, contributing four assists and 18 goals.

But he’s only managed ten goals in the league, and former Juventus player Angelo di Livio called him “lazy.” He thus still seems a long way from the striker who was setting the Inter pitch on fire a few years ago.

The 113-cap international’s worth has decreased significantly as a result of his precipitous fall from favour; according to CIES Football Observatory, the former United star is currently valued at just €30m, or £26m, the same as Mainoo, a player 12 years his junior.

Manchester United’s mainoo, Liverpool Varane
Even though Lukaku is still a top-tier player and appears to be getting back on track in Rome, United’s choice to sell him for £73 million in 2019 seems like a brilliant move given the past few years of controversy and failure.