'This guy has got Ghanaian strength' – Super Eagles star Iwobi hails Man United star despite injury

Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has revealed that a bruising encounter with Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo left him nursing a finger injury, even as he praised Fulham’s spirited display at Old Trafford.

Despite Fulham’s dramatic late collapse in a 3–2 defeat, Iwobi found humour in the setback and reserved special words for the United midfielder’s physicality.

Speaking on his Alexander Yaa Digg podcast, Iwobi lifted the curtain on the incident that left his finger injured during the weekend clash.

The Nigerian international, who completed the full 90 minutes, jokingly blamed Mainoo’s strength, linking it playfully to his Ghanaian heritage.

“Shout-out to Kobbie Mainoo. But Kobbie, you finished my hand. Kobbie, you absolutely finished my hand,” Iwobi said. “This guy has got Ghanaian strength.”

Despite the injury, Iwobi’s comments reflected admiration rather than frustration, highlighting the physical demands of the contest. The Fulham midfielder has been one of Marco Silva’s most reliable performers this season and is expected to recover quickly as the Cottagers push on in the league.

Iwobi also reflected on the match itself, praising Fulham’s resilience after falling behind and fighting their way back into the game.

Kevin Santos Lopes’ stunning first goal for the club briefly levelled the score, earning special praise from Iwobi, while Raul Jimenez’s calm penalty conversion underlined Fulham’s belief.

“It was a good performance to bring it back. Shout out to Kevin… what a goal by the way. That was a mad goal,” he said, also applauding Jimenez’s reliability from the spot.

However, Iwobi admitted Fulham felt hard done by, particularly with some VAR decisions, before their hopes were crushed by a stoppage-time winner from Benjamin Sesko.

With two goals and two assists in 18 league games, Iwobi will hope to shake off the injury quickly and help Fulham bounce back against Everton.