Man Utd ace has been ‘found out’ as Amorim’s ruthless snub given green light
Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo has seen his minutes nosedive this season but Ruben Amorim’s selection calls have been backed by Liverpool legend Steve Nicol
Ruben Amorim’s decision to overlook Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United has been backed by Steve Nicol, who claims the midfielder has been “found out” and does nothing to help the team out of possession.
Mainoo burst onto the scene under Erik ten Hag and became an instant hit. That year he scored in an FA Cup final win and his meteoric rise was completed when he played for England during their run to the final of Euro 2024.
The midfielder’s career has hit a roadblock since Ten Hag was replaced by Amorim, who hasn’t given Mainoo anywhere near the same amount of minutes as his predecessor. Nicol, a serial winner with Liverpool in the 1980s, concedes the 20-year-old is a fantastic player with the ball.
However, he’s claimed that Mainoo doesn’t do nearly enough to stop the opposition and isn’t being enough of a buffer for the back four. Casemiro has been playing ahead of him – which Nicol believes is a scathing reflection of the player.
He told ESPN: “In my opinion, Mainoo is great with the ball at his feet but when the opposition has the ball, he doesn’t do enough. In fact, he doesn’t do anything. He doesn’t stop people getting at Man Utd’s back four. And the fact that that is one of the biggest problems United have and this guy still can’t figure it out.
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“I think basically he’s been found out because at the end of the day, when you play for the top clubs and you want to be challenging, your players have to contribute on both sides of the ball. And if there is one thing Mainoo doesn’t do, it’s contribute defensively. The fact that Casemiro is starting over him consistently tells you that there is a problem and the kid is not as good as we thought he was when he first burst onto the scene.”
Mainoo is yet to play 90 minutes at all in the Premier League this term. He was an unused sub in the first two games and has only played a half on one occasion, that being against Burnley. Otherwise he’s been resigned to brief cameos off the bench.
His only 90 minutes came in the humiliating loss at Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and Amorim has regularly been quizzed on his use of the United academy graduate. But the Portuguese boss insists he sees huge need for improvement in the youngster’s game.
“I believe a lot in Kobbie but some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done. I think he can do so much better. He can improve in a lot,” he said.
“He will have opportunities like the other guys. If I feel during the week that he’s the best player to play, he’s going to play and I proved that already to every player here. I believe a lot in him. I have the same thing [opinion] that you have and that is a top, top player, but he can be so much better, so I’m focused on that.”
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