Manchester United snapped their nine game winless run with a comeback victory over AS Roma in the Champions League at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

The Red Devils looked to be on the way to a tenth straight game without a win after falling 2-0 behind inside the opening 19 minutes against the Serie A outfit, thanks to goals from Mathias Soule and a Donyell Malen penalty.

But a resurgent performance in the second half saw Bruno Fernandes pull one back with a re-taken penalty, before Matheus Cunha scored twice to hand the team their first victory since a September win over Sabah.

United were forced to complete the comeback without star midfield signing Carlos Baleba, after the Cameroon international suffered a hamstring injury in the opening seconds of the second half.

It was the first time that Carrick had been able to partner him alongside Kobbie Mainoo this season, and the team struggled to deal with Roma's width on the counter-attack, while a number of individual errors caused them issues. But in the second half, when United needed something to get them going, there was one man to step up.

In recent history that man has always been Bruno Fernandes. The captain has regularly popped up with goals, assists, and influential performances to drag his team back from the despair of defeat. But against Roma, despite the Portuguese playmaker registering a goal and assist, there was another player who stepped up and took the bull by the horns.

Kobbie Mainoo had 97 touches of the ball, completed 85% of his passes, completed three of his four dribble attempts, carried the ball 32 times, made 12 recoveries, won seven ground duels, and turned in a magnificent performance when considering he was returning from injury, having been forced to miss the last four games.

It's not the first time the young midfielder has taken the game by the scruff of the neck and helped Man Utd get a positive result, and the fact he was the man chosen to address the media before the game suggests his standing in the dressing room is growing.

Speaking ahead of the game, he stated that he felt the team just needed one win to get back on track, and he helped to deliver it with an outstanding performance.

Mainoo is First Name on the Team Sheet

It's wild to think that 12 months ago there were conversations about Mainoo leaving the club because he couldn't get any minutes under Ruben Amorim, and the board were willing to sanction it.

Fast forward to now, and the 21-year-old is undoubtedly the first name on the team sheet for Carrick, and he is now growing into his role as a leader on and off the pitch.

The manager has shown that he isn't afraid to drop players, with Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez finding themselves on the bench recently, but Mainoo is someone who seems undroppable now. His influence and quality are unmatched in the squad, and it's no surprise that, in seven starts this season, United have only lost one, and that was the controversial defeat to Man City. Without him in the starting lineup, United have lost six times out of seven.

Man Utd are heading into a new era at Old Trafford, and whether it's Carrick or someone else in the dugout, Mainoo is the new leader and everything should be built around him.