It says everything about Kobbie Mainoo’s alarming decline at Manchester United that his best chance of a start under Ruben Amorim will come at Grimsby on Wednesday night.
The second round of the Carabao Cup in front of a 9,000 sellout at Blundell Park is about as good as it gets for Mainoo right now, having played not a minute of United’s opening two Premier League games against Arsenal and Fulham.
Fans were quick to pick up on Mainoo’s downcast demeanour as he wandered forlornly around the pitch at Craven Cottage after United’s 1-1 draw on Sunday, stopping to share his thoughts privately with Joshua Zirkzee, another of Amorim’s unused substitutes.
Afterwards, the United boss spoke about Mainoo being locked in a fight with Bruno Fernandes for one of the two midfield berths — a battle he is highly unlikely to win against the team’s captain and best player.
So how has it come to this? Why have the lights suddenly gone out on the shining star of United’s academy?
This time last year, Mainoo was basking in the glory of his breakthrough season at Old Trafford, crowned by a standout performance in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City. A pivotal figure in the new generation under Erik ten Hag. An England regular who started the Euro 2024 final against Spain in Berlin.
Kobbie Mainoo sat on the bench through Manchester United’s first two Premier League matches this season
Just a year ago, Mainoo was celebrating scoring the crucial second goal in his boyhood club’s FA Cup victory at Wembley
Mainoo started the Euro 2024 final but has been overlooked by new England manager Thomas Tuchel
By the time Ten Hag was replaced by Amorim at the start November, Mainoo was in the middle of a two-month lay-off due to a hamstring injury. He has since featured in 28 of United’s 44 games under the Portuguese, starting only 15 of them.
More worrying is the fact that Mainoo doesn’t seem to fit in naturally to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system — even less so after United spent £130million this summer on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to play in the two No 10 positions, pushing Fernandes back into midfield.
The United captain played alongside Casemiro, Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte at Craven Cottage, while Mainoo sat kicking his heels on the bench.
It would appear as though the 20-year-old is not attacking enough to play No 10 when Amorim also has Mount and Amad Diallo as options, and not defensive enough to partner Fernandes when Casemiro and Ugarte are available. United are trying to add another defensive midfielder before the transfer window closes which would further limit his opportunities.
So Mainoo appears to have three options: try to oust Fernandes from the team. Bide his time on the premise that Amorim doesn’t work out and United are forced to change manager again. Or consider a future away from his boyhood club.
The latter has been more of a possibility than fans realised for some time now amid a contract impasse that has dragged on for more than a year.
When it first began, the main sticking point was Mainoo’s demand for a contract worth around £180,000 a week. He was negotiating from a position of strength after becoming a regular for club and country, and wanted at least a degree of parity with the likes of Casemiro, who was playing alongside him while earning £375,000.
United have been unwilling to meet those terms, safe in the knowledge that the player is under contract until June 2027 with an option on the club’s side to extend it by another year.
Erik ten Hag was a big believer in Mainoo (left) but he has started only 15 of 44 games under Ruben Amorim
Mainoo (pictured with the 2022 FA Youth Cup) was scouted by United at the age of just six and has gone on to make 72 appearances for the first team, scoring seven times
When Amorim was asked for an update on negotiations on Friday, he was unable to give one — because the truth is, there hasn’t been any progress.
Another issue is where Mainoo fits into the club’s plans, a situation that has only deteriorated since Amorim took over. Opportunities have been hard to come by, and a rare highlight was his extra-time equaliser in the Europa League win over Lyon.
Let’s not forget however that Mainoo was a late substitute on that incredible night at Old Trafford, and an even later one when Amorim’s side lost in the final to Tottenham a month later.
He can no longer be considered a starter for United at the beginning of a season that ends with a World Cup for England. It’s almost a year since he won the last of his 10 caps, after Thomas Tuchel left him out of his first two squads.
The change in Mainoo’s fortunes has coincided with United coming under more pressure than ever to comply with profit and sustainability rules that ridiculously reward clubs for selling their homegrown players.
When Daily Mail Sport first revealed in January that United would consider cashing in on Mainoo, and that Chelsea were ready to pounce if he could not agree a new contract at Old Trafford, it was met with anger and incredulity from fans.
Amorim subsequently confirmed what club insiders had been saying, that crown jewels like Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho could indeed be sold off to balance the books at what he admitted was ‘a hard moment’. Supporters could stomach the prospect of Marcus Rashford or Garnacho going, but not the boy from Stockport.
Seven months on, it no longer feels quite so unthinkable. Mainoo is understood to be weighing up his options and 10 top clubs from the Premier League and around Europe are monitoring his situation closely. For all the financial benefits, though, dare United risk selling him and then live to regret it?
For all the financial benefits that come with selling a homegrown player, seeing the boy from Stockport go would be a huge blow to United fans
The once iconic photo of Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Mainoo has now been tinged as they each fall out of favour at Old Trafford
Garnacho is set to be the first one to go after falling out with his manager, ironically with Chelsea at the front of the queue once again. Rasmus Hojlund’s career at United also looks to be over after he was left out of the squad completely for the first two games following Benjamin Sesko’s arrival.
The mind drifts back to that photo of Mainoo, Garnacho and Hojlund perched on an advertising board at Old Trafford when Ten Hag’s side beat West Ham in February 2024.
It felt almost iconic. As though the snapshot was a glimpse into the future of Manchester United, one brimming with youth and excitement.
It seems unlikely that Mainoo will follow Garnacho and Hojlund out of Old Trafford in what remains of this window. There can still be a bright future for him at United if the stars align again. But it could be a long road back, and it might have to start in Grimsby.