United Beyond Manchester

Manchester United’s superb February has led to two individual awards for players. Rasmus Hojlund picked up his first Premier League Player of the Month, and Kobbie Mainoo won the Premier League Goal of the Month. Let’s look at what each award means and what each player did to deserve it.

Hojlund’s Player of the Month

Rasmus Hojlund became the first Danish player ever to win the Premier League Player of the Month when he was announced as the winner today. None of the great Danes like Christian Eriksen, Peter Schmeichel, or Daniel Agger ever won the award at the height of their careers.

Rasmus Hojlund’s February was remarkable. He scored in all four of his February appearances and totaled five goals. United won each and only lost to Fulham when Hojlund was not in the squad. The Dane made a habit of grabbing goals early, as all five of his goals were scored inside the first thirty minutes. This helped United set the tone and grow in confidence to win each match.

At just 21 years old, Rasmus Hojlund surely will pick up many more Premier League Player of the Month awards. His performances in February give United fans hope that they finally have the striker they have been waiting for.

Let’s hope that this is just the start for Rasmus Hojlund.

Mainoo’s Goal of the Month

What a player. It was clear over the summer in pre-season that there was something different about Kobbie Mainoo. Unfortunately, injuries kept him out for much of the first half of the season. Now, he has burst onto the season, winning Manchester United’s Player of the Month in January and grabbing the Premier League Goal of the Month for February.

I have already analyzed Mainoo’s winner once (read here), but the award gives me another chance to take a look at his brilliant match-winner.

Manchester United seemingly had given up a heart-breaking late equalizer to drop points against Wolves. Pedro Neto scored on a fast break in the 90+5′ to level the score at three. Enter Kobbie Mainoo. Mainoo picked the ball up outside of the box and began to dribble. He then nutmegged Max Kilman, drove into the box, set his strike, and buried the ball into the far corner with finesse. His 90+7′ stunner broke Wolves hearts and epitomizes why there is so much hype around the 18-year-old.

Mainoo is already a standout player in Manchester United’s midfield. His calmness on the ball and the fluidity with which he plays is incredible to watch. This Goal of the Month award is just the first of many accolades Kobbie Mainoo will earn in his career.