Man Utd's message when Ruben Amorim first met Kobbie Mainoo sums up his tenure at Old Trafford
Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Manchester United is increasingly getting defined by Kobbie Mainoo, and the club’s first message when they met each other summed up everything. It feels like an era ago, but just more than a year ago, when Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford, it was widely believed that Kobbie Mainoo would be one of the biggest winners.Amorim had arrived from Sporting with a reputation of championing the youth, and there weren’t many youngsters in world football better than Mainoo. Fast forward a year, and Mainoo just played zero minutes again despite an anaemic attacking performance in Man Utd’s 1-1 draw against West Ham. Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesWhen Ruben Amorim first met Kobbie MainooMainoo’s fall from grace under Ruben Amorim has come out of nowhere to start this season, because not only was he a regular last season, but he was also ever-present in the pre-season. All of a sudden, when Man Utd bought Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes was forced to drop deeper, and Mainoo became an unfortunate casualty. It’s puzzling because Amorim says Mainoo is Fernandes’ backup, but he said last season that Mainoo is good near the box, so he should be an option for the No. 10 position at least.That tactical versatility is what prompted Man Utd to predict “the start of something special” when Amorim first met Mainoo. On November 12, 2024, United posted the first picture of Amorim and Mainoo together, with the Man Utd manager hugging the United academy product. THIS was Ruben Amorim and Kobbie Mainoo’s first meeting – November 12, 2024 How has it all gone wrong? 👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say They wrote, “The start of something special”, with a sprinkling star emojis, which went down extremely well with Man Utd fans. Needless to say, one year later, the way that tweet has aged sums up Amorim’s tenure at the club. Kobbie Mainoo will come to define Amorim’s tenureIt was said at the start of this season that Mainoo and Amorim’s futures are intertwined at Old Trafford, whether they like it or not. Nearly four months into the season, that has proven to be true, but in the worst possible way. Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim? Credit: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images 👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say Amorim doesn’t rate Mainoo as his growth has stalled, and United aren’t any better off for it, which is making the manager’s stand increasingly frail. This is no longer a case of simply backing a player over the manager in a short-sighted manner. This is about potentially losing a generational talent who has been a model professional, over a manager who has won 13 of his 41 games at Old Trafford. It’s a shame that a manager who came to United as a champion of youth could end up overseeing the darkest period of United’s academy when there is precocious talent waiting in the ranks. Join Our Newsletter Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
