Who does Louis Saha believe can be the new Paul Scholes?

Manchester United are a club reborn under Michael Carrick. Since the former midfield maestro took the reins from Ruben Amorim in January, the atmosphere at Old Trafford has shifted from one of "entitlement" to one of clinical execution. United have surged into the top four, underpinned by a tactical discipline that was sorely lacking in the first half of the season.

Central to this revival has been the form of Kobbie Mainoo. After a turbulent period where his future was the subject of intense speculation, the young England international is finally finding his feet again. We caught up with former United striker Louis Saha to discuss Mainoo’s development, Everton’s resurgence under David Moyes, and the ongoing chaos at Tottenham.

Mainoo finding his "foundation" under Carrick

Kobbie Mainoo’s return to the starting XI has coincided with United's climb up the table. While the pressure on the teenager has been immense, Saha believes the appointment of a manager who played his exact role is the "secret sauce" Mainoo needed.

“Mainoo needs to resettle after all the pressure and talk about his future under Amorim," Saha explains. “His game still needs to improve and he can improve. He had great performances since coming back into the team.”

There have been questions as to what Mainoo’s best role is, but Saha urges patience, noting that Carrick is the perfect mentor to help him master the basics first.

“Maybe he can be more aggressive in his attacking but right now maybe isn’t the right moment for that. Right now he needs to find his foundation and Carrick is trying to do that.”

“Mainoo is working well with Casemiro right now and they really compliment each other. Physically he has shown that he can compete but I would like to see him show his confidence in scoring goals like Scholes, Carrick and Darren Fletcher did and bombard forward. This is what we need from Kobbie because technically he is gifted and can score goals.”

With Thomas Tuchel preparing for the World Cup this summer, Saha is convinced Mainoo is playing his way onto the plane.

“I think that now Mainoo has found his form he can get into Tuchel’s World Cup squad. Especially because he plays for Manchester United. He’s got the best platform to do that. He’s been very impressive. Four wins and four very impressive performances so definitely Tuchel is watching and he’s got all the talent. He showed that during the Euros.”

“The worry was if he’s not playing and doesn’t have minutes under his belt it would have been difficult but he’s doing it now. It’s up to him to score more goals and be more visible. If Manchester United are winning more games and picking up more points he will have more credit in the bank for sure.”

Mainoo will hope to make an impact when Manchester United travel to face Everton in their next league game, and if you fancy backing them to get back to winning ways, you can use our free bet calculator to work out how much you could stand to earn.

Everton’s evolution and the Ndiaye factor

Away from Old Trafford, David Moyes has returned to Everton and performed a minor miracle, lifting the Toffees into the European places. A huge part of that has been the form of Iliman Ndiaye, who Saha admits he’d love to see in a United shirt.

“Ndiaye I think, as well as the signing for Grealish has helped even though he's injured right now. Ndiaye from the moment he signed, he's been an amazing talent. I would love to see him maybe at some point, at Man Utd, to be honest. He's a very skillful player.”

Saha notes that while the defensive solidity is a Moyes trademark, the "killer instinct" up front is still a work in progress.

“David Moyes has really solidified what we know that he can do. Defensively they're solid and offensively now, they create a bit more. They still maybe lack a killer instinct at the top. The two strikers, Beto and Barry, are struggling for goals in a way that we know they shouldn't.”

“I think in some ways, it's a very balanced squad. They get the results they're looking for. Sometimes they have brilliant games where they play really well with speed and directness. It provides a good insight into why they're climbing up the table.”

“I like Ndiaye's style. Like Mbeumo, he's comfortable with the ball. His workrate is very good, he's very skillful. He's a bit like a mix of Amad and Mbeumo to be honest. Maybe not as good a scorer as Mbeumo. I like his capacity to bring things together, whether he's attacking from the left or right, and his agility.”

"Painful to watch": The Tottenham struggle

While United and Everton look up, Tottenham are looking over their shoulder. Despite having a talented squad, Spurs find themselves in a familiar cycle of inconsistency, sitting uncomfortably close to the bottom three.

“Yes there's a bit of concern with Tottenham but it's been there for years," Saha admits. “They have talented players all over the pitch but they're missing the link that creates solidity, confidence and at the same time, align with the attacking football that the fans want. It's a bit of a conflict sometimes.”

“Definitely when they're missing one or two players due to injury, and then they have their captain getting red-carded. Yes, he's a very good defender but we all know he's got a big temperament. It is always a problem.”

Saha compares Romero’s style to his former teammates, suggesting that while aggression is needed, it must be harnessed correctly.

“Overall, this team is not very aggressive. They need a couple of aggressive players and it ends up being Romero. Every team has this kind of player. I remember having Gabriel Heinze and Wes Brown. They are very aggressive. That doesn't mean they get red-carded every time but that's part of the game.”

Despite the "scary" five-point gap to the relegation zone, Saha doesn't see Spurs going down, but he warns that a structural overhaul is needed if they ever want to find their feet again.

“I see that Tottenham, overall, need something more than just the manager. It's a bit of the club's structure and it's been a concern for years and years. I don't know exactly what is missing but it is painful to watch. Being six points out of the relegation zone is scary but I don't think they'll end up anywhere near that. I do think it's just a moment where they need to find their feet again.”

Read more as Louis Saha discusses Michael Carrick's early success as Manchester United manager