Kobbie Mainoo made his Man United debut on 26 November 2023 in a win over Everton. That day, the young English star made the Goodison Park audience admire him many times for his skillful ball handling ability, good vision and extremely nangitive.
Then, in the remainder of the 2023-2024 season, Mainoo did the same thing many times in the context of the "Red Devils" squad having countless injuries. From those impressive performances, Mainoo was called up to the England squad for EURO 2024, contributing to the "Three Lions" reaching the final (losing to Spain).
From a 9-year-old boy joining the Carrington Academy to his brilliance in big matches, Mainoo has lived the dreams of millions of Man United fans. However, now, at his peak, he is preparing to leave Old Trafford to save his career.
Mainoo has not started a Premier League game for Man United since the start of the season (only played 171 minutes). The only time he started in the League Cup was a serious defeat to Grimsby Town. It is clear that Ruben Amorim does not trust Mainoo even though he still takes risks for the veteran couple Bruno Fernandes - Casemiro to pair up in the midfield area.
After the draw with West Ham in midweek, when asked about Mainoo's case, Amorim said he was not interested in the media's discussion. The Portuguese tactician shared that he just wanted to win and would bring all the best players onto the pitch.
Regarding tactics, Amorim once said "doesn't really trust Mainoo". Before this season's Manchester Derby, the 40-year-old strategist said he expected much more than what Mainoo had been able to do. Not only that, Amorim did not believe Mainoo was a complete version of what he wanted.
"Mainoo is very good at controlling the midfield but when he was put in the box-to-box position, Mainoo was forced to push up, find a way to get the ball back and cover the space with only a maximum of 2 people. Bruno Fernandes is currently in charge of that.
Bruno is the most influential player in the club and is playing in this position. Mainoo can sometimes play in a defensive midfield role but sometimes he just passes the ball and leaves the position, which is not the standard for a 'number 6'. So we need to balance everything" - Amorim shared.
Mainoo's lack of acceleration is an issue that has been clearly felt under Ruben Amorim. Mainoo is also quite weak in passing the ball at short distances, he is better at passing long into the opponent's penalty area in a direct manner. Mainoo will need time to improve his skills, but where will he get that time when he cannot compete for a position with Bruno Fernandes?
Even in recent times, when Man United has been constantly rumored to be linked with Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Carlos Baleba (Brighton) or Elliot Anderson (Nottingham), the possibility of the "Red Devils" keeping Mainoo is almost zero.
Kobbie Mainoo is stuck at Carrington and has no chance to develop. If Man United play in 4 arenas at the same time, the possibility of playing is still there, but with this situation, if Casemiro or Bruno do not have long-term injuries, Mainoo will have almost no chance.
The final question now is how Mainoo's future will be handled? Will he leave on loan or permanent transfer like Scott McTominay to Napoli? In any case, the day Mainoo leaves Old Trafford is very close, even in the upcoming winter transfer window.
