Man United ‘have to make a decision’ on star as ‘there is something going on’ behind closed doors
Ruben Amorim is being urged to fix an issue with one star player who the Portuguese boss has been told he should be starting more often.
Man United’s 2-0 win over Sunderland leaves the Red Devils 10th in the Premier League table, but the pressure is very much still on Amorim.
Amorim has been backed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe amid a mixed run of form to begin the new campaign after finishing last season in 15th and failing to qualify for European football.
Man United have been criticised under Amorim for his fixation in playing a 3-4-2-1 formation, something which is having an impact on one player more than others.
Ruben Amorim should be finding Kobbie Mainoo solution
Kobbie Mainoo has barely featured under Amorim since his appointment in November 2024, after breaking through under Erik ten Hag and starring at Euro 2024 for England.
As per the Metro, [15 October], former Man United defender Wes Brown believes Mainoo will be frustrated at the current situation.
“Kobbie will want to play. There is something going on where he is not getting starts, not getting game time,” Brown said.
“But Kobbie is a very talented young player and he needs to play football at his age. And internationally as well. So he will be very disappointed with how the season has gone.
“I just hope the manager and him are speaking, in a sense of [finding out] what the manager wants from him and what he needs more of because Kobbie is a young talented guy and needs to be playing more and hopefully that an happen.
| Minutes Played | 1,656 |
| Chances Created | 14 |
| Duels Won % | 45% |
| Aerial Duels Won % | 38% |
“He will be probably be thinking “I don’t know what is next.” There is a World Cup coming up in the summer and he will want to be part of that but he will need to play football.
“It will be a tough one and I’m not sure what happens from here, the only thing I can say, does he speaks to the manager to get more information [on] what he wants from him? That’s probably the surprise of this season for everyone that he has not managed to get a start.
“It will be frustrating for him. Very frustrating, He will believe he should be on the pitch for longer but this will happen in every team. I think it is how you handle it, how you get on with it to make sure the manager notices that as well.”
Mainoo is likely to leave Man United on loan after failing in a bid to secure a short-term move out of the club during the summer transfer window.
Mainoo tipped for £90m valuation
Mainoo has only played 113 minutes this season for Man United, and Brown thinks the 20-year-old could be worth £90million if he was starting every week.
“Amorim seems pretty set on Bruno and Casemiro as the main two at the moment, but it looks like Ugarte is the next player to come on,” Brown said.
“There have been times where I think Kobbie’s played better than Ugarte when they’ve both been on the pitch but he’s still not getting those chances over him.
“That must be frustrating when you’re not just the next sub, you’re the next sub after that sub. One of them never gets subbed by the way, which is Bruno, so you’re looking and thinking, “I’m not going to get on unless there are injuries” and you don’t want to wish injury on any of your teammates.
“So I think he’s probably going to want to get a loan move because he needs football. Even as an asset to Man United, he needs to improve his game, he needs to be playing football. He’s too young to just be sat doing nothing.
“He’s one of our local players and he could be worth up to £80-90 million.
“He’s going to have to get football if he’s not going to play under the manager. And if the manager looks like he’s staying, then I think the club are going to have to make a decision, not the manager, to let him go.“
Mainoo’s only start was in Man United’s Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby, and with the Red Devils out of the competition and with only Premier League football until January, it looks unlikely that playing time will increase for the young midfielder.