Dimitar Berbatov has given a glowing review of Kobbie Mainoo's talents despite him encountering a 'really cruel' period at Manchester United.
Mainoo has not started a Premier League game this season and his World Cup hopes are wilting as Ruben Amorim prefers a midfield duo of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
It is the first major setback in the 20-year-old's career, who saw a loan request denied in the summer.
Former United striker Berbatov is urging Amorim to give the Mancunian midfielder more of a chance to show off the qualities he displayed in the previous two seasons.
'It's a very tough situation, especially for a young player,' Berbatov, LiveScore Bet’s European Ambassador, exclusively told Daily Mail Sport.
'And it shows you how football can be a really cruel game at times because Kobbie Mainoo was playing, he reached the England national team, he was going up, up, and up. All of a sudden he is not being picked.
'Now the question is, does he stay positive, patient, and wait for his moment again? Or he needs to move to a different place to play regularly to get his confidence back and come back to United and start playing more regularly?
'I'd like to see him play because the talent is there to see, that decision-making, that calmness and arrogance which you need with the ball at your feet is there, even at his age. I like that. But at the moment, the manager doesn't see something he can use from the first minute of the game.'
Back in 2024, Mainoo was seen as one of three 'untouchable' stars along with Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund, young players the club wanted to build around.
Garnacho now finds himself at Chelsea, Hojlund is on loan at Napoli, and Mainoo is consigned to the bench. Indeed, The Sun have reported that Mainoo isn't even travelling to London with the squad for Saturday's Spurs clash.
As Berbatov notes, Mainoo's career trajectory was only ever upwards. He is already an FA Cup winner, a Europa League finalist, and a 10-time England international.
His exclusion has been prompted by the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha as the club's number 10s, who pushed Fernandes back into a central midfield role. For Mainoo to displace either the club's captain or Casemiro, a five-time Champions League winner, is a tall order.
But United have not set the world alight this campaign despite their extravagant £200million summer spend. The Red Devils sit eighth in the Premier League going into Saturday's trip to Tottenham.
It's certainly an improvement on last season's 15th-placed finish, and winning three league games in a row recently was a welcome refresher, but their malaise has copped criticism from club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo suggested that some of United's stars don't have the right mentality and Berbatov feels they would do well to listen.
'Coming from Ronaldo, I think that's a fair assessment because he's been in that winning mentality all his professional career. That's why he's on the Mount Rushmore [of football].
'When you have someone of that stature in football say something like this, then especially the young players who are representing United, they need to understand why they are hearing something like this.
'There needs to be more hunger to be among the top teams in the league, to go to places where you can see them winning the title again because it's been 12 years without a Premier League title. That's a big period without United winning the title.'
Berbatov would know a thing about mentality, too, as a two-time Premier League champion and one-time Bulgarian man of the year winner (ahead of boxer Detelin Dalakliev and interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in 2009).
There have been few Premier League strikers with the gracefulness and fluidity of Berbatov, a man who could seemingly make the world stand still when he was on the ball.
And he believes that his qualities on the pitch translate perfectly into his role supporting LiveScore Bet's 'Play With Control' campaign.
'I used to play by expressing myself but also being in control, sometimes slowing time in my mind to give me the chance to know where everybody was on the pitch for my next pass.
'The same discipline and consistency applies to betting responsibly. Just like in football, good decisions in betting require calmness, focus, slowing time in your head.'
We were speaking to Berbatov at LiveScore Bet’s ‘Play With Control’ responsible gambling campaign shoot. Known for his flawless first touch and calmness under pressure, Berbatov’s control didn’t come by chance. It was the result of mental discipline, careful preparation and a deep understanding of his own abilities.
As part of LiveScore Bet’s ‘Play With Control’ campaign, set to launch during the UK & Ireland’s Safer Gambling Week (17-23 Nov), Berbatov emphasises the importance of understanding your odds, using the tools available to stay in control and betting with discipline.
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