Manchester United began their Champions League campaign with a comprehensive 4-0 victory against Sabah FK.

Matheus Cunha put United ahead, scoring a well-taken goal after a good cross from Patrick Dorgu. Bruno Fernandes then doubled United's lead after an excellent assist from Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder was exceptional during the first half before being taken off at half-time.

Shortly after Fernandes' goal, Benjamin Sesko scored his second goal in two games to triple United's lead. Lisandro Martinez then scored United's fourth and final goal of the night.

With United facing several difficult fixtures in the league phase of the competition, they needed to take all three points tonight, and Michael Carrick's men made no mistake.

Kobbie Mainoo was excellent on Thursday night and once again proved why he is rated so highly by so many people. Mainoo is forming a nice partnership with Tielemans, and the duo will be especially effective together in games where United dominate possession.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Carrick praised Mainoo's performance and explained his importance to the team.

"He's a fantastic player, Kobbie. I think it's pretty obvious to see, you know, the way he's performing, playing a little bit deeper, really and connecting the attack, starting the attacks and having a massive influence on our games, you know," Carrick said.

"So he's a real joy to kind of have. He wants to learn, he wants to improve, he wants to listen, and he expresses himself on the pitch, you know, and it's great to see."

Mainoo plays beyond his years, and because of that, it is sometimes easy to forget that he is only 21 years of age. He still has a few years of development ahead of him until he actually enters his prime years.

Mainoo is extremely good in tight spaces. He is press-resistant and is an exceptional ball-carrier, but one area of his game that he has needed to develop is his passing range, and he does seem to be making strides in that regard

Against Sabah, there were a few occasions when he played a lovely long-range pass to find a teammate. If he can do that on a more regular basis, it would certainly take his game to the next level.

Given how important he is now to United, it is strange to think that less than a year ago, he spent most United games sitting on the bench. Ruben Amorim made a lot of mistakes during his 14-month tenure at Old Trafford, but not finding a place for Mainoo in his starting line-up was arguably his biggest. A player of that quality should never be sat on the bench in this United team.

United signed three midfielders during the summer: Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba. Carrick will likely rotate regularly to keep them all fresh as United look to compete on multiple fronts. That being said, Mainoo will likely play in the majority of United's biggest games.