Ruben Amorim facing Man United pressure over shock Kobbie Mainoo stance
Manchester United have picked up one point from their first two Premier League games as the mood around Old Trafford is on a knife edge.
Ruben Amorim’s side will travel to Grimsby Town on Wednesday night in the second round of the Carabao Cup with the team looking for their first win of the season.
One peculiar trend that has emerged in both of United’s home games so far in this fledgling Premier League season is Amorim’s continued omission of Kobbie Mainoo from the side.
The 20-year-old has been named as a substitute in the opening two games of the season and is yet to play a minute of football, despite Man United’s continued midfield woes.
Amorim knows that only results will keep him in a job at Old Trafford and despite promising performances yielding no wins yet, it’s the Portuguese’s treatment of Mainoo that is most shocking for some.
Kobbie Mainoo out of favour despite midfield woes
With games now coming in quick succession as the Carabao Cup begins, Mainoo might finally be due a start after a tough couple of weeks.
Talking on talkSPORT, Alex Crook has laid out what may happen next for the out of favour academy graduate.
“He [Mainoo] looked like quite a frustrated figure at the end of the game [against Fulham] and I’ve got to say it caused an angry reaction in the Manchester United fanbase when I broke the story yesterday morning (August 25) that Kobbie Mainoo would consider a move away in the final week of the window.
“I think it’s difficult because United will ask for big money for him but I think he knows that Ruben Amorim doesn’t fancy him, it’s been going on since the backend of last season,” Crook continued.
Mainoo first burst into the United first team in 2023 and had a breakout season that saw him force a way into the England first team for the 2024 European championships.
Mainoo’s athletic ability has been questioned by Amorim during his time at the club and has been used more as a back up number 10 as opposed to in the midfield pivot under the 40-year-old.
It was revealed after the Fulham game that Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes for a role in the starting eleven, something which possess an issue for the youngster’s development.
Bruno Fernandes might be Manchester United’s best player but he’s hampering the team
Football Insider verdict
Following the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in the summer Bruno Fernandes has had to move deeper into the midfield pairing to accommodate a place in the team for the new signings and Amorim’s best player.
The ex-Sporting head coach has shown no willingness to move away from his 3-4-2-1 shape and so it seems that this group of personnel will have to get used to playing the roles they’re being asked to undertake at current.
Fernandes is a victim of this, having to fight his natural instincts as a number 10, and play a more reserved role in a double pivot next to an ageing Casemiro.
| Season | Goal involvements |
| 2020-21 | 30 |
| 2021-22 | 16 |
| 2022-23 | 16 |
| 2023-24 | 18 |
| 2024-25 | 18 |
Fernandes has put in two sub-par performances in United’s opening two games of the season, missing a penalty and failing to track Emile Smith-Rowe who scored Fulham’s equaliser on Sunday.
As pressure mounts on Amorim following Mainoo’s omissions and United’s winless start to the season, he may have to make a bold call revolving around his compatriot sooner rather than later.