Manchester United player has really bulked up recently, he’s like Paul Pogba now

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Pre-season is well and truly underway as Premier League teams get back to work ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Many players are returning to pre-season this time around after a long summer of hard work, and plenty of physical changes have been noticed across the Premier League.

Kai Havertz is looking noticeably bigger after returning to training with Arsenal, while Luka Vuskovic is looking huge at Tottenham.

Over at Manchester United, another player has seemingly bulked up over the summer too.

Speaking on the More than a Match Podcast, former Manchester United academy player, D’Mani Mellor, has been discussing his recent catch-up with Kobbie Mainoo.

According to Mellor, Mainoo has really bulked up recently, going as far as to compare him to Paul Pogba.

Kobbie Mainoo has bulked up

Mellor spoke about Mainoo’s recent transformation, claiming that he has bulked up lately.

The former United starlet says that Mainoo is actually starting to remind him of Paul Pogba due to his build and how he uses his body.

“I had a couple of friends over who I’ve not seen for a while Jimmy, James Garner, Kobbie. Kobbie Mainoo, he’s very stocky now, he’s big.

“He’s in very good shape, he’s different, he reminds me of, not like Pogba, but a bit like Pogba, he uses his body so well, he can turn you and put his arm out like he’s strong with his arm, his passing is clever. He’s a very good player and I’m looking forward to seeing him this year. He looks in very good shape and he’ll have a good season this season.”

Kobbie Mainoo could now fix one of his biggest problems

Kobbie Mainoo is a fantastic footballer, but he’s far from the complete package.

Indeed, there are a few issues in Mainoo’s game, the midfielder isn’t particularly fast, while physicality hasn’t always been his strongest suit.

Alan Pardew identified defending set-plays as a problem for Mainoo last year.

“One of the problems you have got with Mainoo, he is not big, in that sitting position in front of the back-four where you have Rodri and people like that, you know, Rice, you have usually got that third fourth header of the ball, and he is not going to be that. So, that’s a downside to him in that team,” Pardew said.

“And also, obviously, he is an outstanding player, but in the team, you need those four, five dominant headers of the ball, and Man United looked weak at set plays.”

Now that Mainoo has bulked up a bit, he should be stronger in these situations, and, hopefully, that will help Manchester United concede fewer goals in the long run.