In his first interview with Manchester United's official website, coach Ruben Amorim emphasized that his top priority is not to help players adapt to the new tactical diagram, but to bring the team back to core values when wearing the "Red Devils" shirt.
"The most important thing is the feeling of belonging to the club, and we have a tradition for that," Amorim said after his first week at Carrington.
"I think this is especially important, because many people are currently talking about 3-4-3, 4-3-3 diagrams or similar systems. But when thinking as a player or a teammate of Man United, the core is not the tactics or the system, but the players' character and the way they look at the club.
For me, the most important task at the moment is to rebuild the principles, identity and personality that the team had in the past," the Portuguese captain added.
When asking any Man United fan about the identity of the club, two factors are almost always mentioned: the fast-paced and brave attacking style of play, along with giving opportunities to young players, especially the faces that have matured from the club's own training center. However, under Amorim, both of those principles seem to have not been given top priority.
Man United fans have shown remarkable patience with the coach who has just led the team through their worst season in 51 years, and have continuously acclaimed the belief that the Portuguese strategist will turn things around for the "Red Devils". However, Amorim himself has limited the use of Mainoo - the only academy graduate player who is regularly in the squad.
The affection that Man United fans have for Mainoo was clearly shown through the passionate fireworks when he was brought on from the bench against Wolves. However, the moment he enters the field says everything about the current position of this young midfielder in the squad. That was in the 78th minute, when Man United led 3-1 to the opponent considered the weakest in the league, possibly even one of the worst teams in Premier League history.
It is difficult not to mention the first time Mainoo appeared at Molineux more than two years ago, when he played the full 90 minutes and scored the decisive goal in the final minutes with a skillful dribble and then a dangerous shot into the bottom corner of the goal.
At that time, Mainoo fueled excitement with his first Premier League goal against Wolves. Next was a stunning curling shot into Liverpool's net, before leaving his mark with a model combination to help the home team beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
Being called up to the England national team early and playing 6 matches at EURO 2024 seems to have confirmed Mainoo's position. However, his career is currently on the brink, with the midfielder yet to make a Premier League start this season.
The England midfielder's most minutes on the pitch were just 45 minutes against Burnley in August, when Mason Mount was injured. On average, Mainoo have only been used for 12 minutes per game in the top flight this season.
