Just a few months ago, Kobbie Mainoo's future at Manchester United was still a big question mark. Unable to gain the trust of coach Ruben Amorim, the young English midfielder often had to be friends with the bench and faced the risk of being loaned out.
Although Man United's board of directors has never intended to sell Mainoo, a series of transfer rumors still appeared. Even the 21-year-old player himself once expressed his desire to leave on loan at the end of the summer transfer window due to concerns about lack of playing opportunities. And of course, that worry is completely justified.
Man United's failure to qualify for European cups has significantly reduced the number of matches in the 2025-2026 season. Things are even more difficult when the Old Trafford team is eliminated early from the English League Cup. More importantly, Amorim publicly considers Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes players competing for the same position.
In that competition, Fernandes - captain and Man United's number one star - was always the priority choice. And Mainoo became the one at a disadvantage. For most Man United fans, Mainoo's limited playing time is difficult to understand. Therefore, when Amorim was sacked in January, many fans expected his successor to do two things: abandon the three-center-back system and bring Mainoo back to the main squad.
The real change appeared when Michael Carrick took over the team, although the 4-defender formation was actually applied by interim coach Darren Fletcher before.
Switching to a four-defender system immediately helps Man United's midfield operate more balancedly. Fernandes is returned to his preferred number 10 role, while Mainoo plays alongside Casemiro at the bottom. That is a combination that brings clear efficiency.
Casemiro provides strength, experience and tackling ability, while Mainoo brings composure, the ability to receive the ball under pressure and connect the playing style from the lower line. More importantly, Mainoo's presence helps the "Red Devils" have a more stable structure in the midfield area. When playing alongside Fernandes in the deep play role, Casemiro is often put in a situation where he has to cover too much space. But with Mainoo, Man United's system becomes significantly more balanced.
The 3-2 victory over Liverpool is clear evidence of that. Although Man United's midfield had moments of loss of control in the second half when both Casemiro and Mainoo pushed up, Mainoo's boldness then brought victory with a decisive shot from outside the penalty area.
After the match, Mainoo admitted that he wanted to improve his scoring ability - which is completely understandable as that was only his fourth goal in the Premier League. However, a bigger question still exists, which role does Mainoo really fit in?
This is an issue that many coaches at Man United have debated in recent years. Erik ten Hag once considered Mainoo as a "perfect midfielder" who can play both in the number 8 and number 6. Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate of the England team is also not sure that Mainoo will develop into a pure defensive midfielder in the future.
Amorim even thinks that Mainoo lacks speed and physique to take on the role of number 6 or number 8 according to his tactical requirements. Those assessments are not entirely wrong. Mainoo is not a midfielder who is prone to collisions or has a tendency to compete fiercely like Casemiro. But modern football also shows that not every defensive midfielder needs to play that way.
Players like Sergio Busquets or Rodri succeed thanks to their ability to control the ball, escape pressing and maintain the pace of the match more than rushing into tackles. That is also Mainoo's greatest strength.
This season, the English midfielder achieved an accurate pass rate of 87.2% in a pressing state - in the best group in the Premier League among central midfielders who have made over 400 passes. In situations under extreme pressure, Mainoo still maintains an accurate pass rate of 85.7%, and is also in the group of the most effective forward-passing midfielders in the league.
At the age of 21, Mainoo is already one of the best pressing midfielders in England. That is an extremely rare quality at Man United since the time of Nemanja Matic or Carrick himself when he was playing. The issue now is not whether Mainoo is talented enough, but whether Man United has enough patience to build a system suitable for him.
Mainoo needs to be given a stable role, instead of being constantly changed positions or evaluated according to standards that do not match his skill set. More importantly, Man United needs to find a replacement for Casemiro in the future - a player who can support Mainoo instead of devaluing him.
