Man Utd ace Kobbie Mainoo embarrasses Ruben Amorim over ‘struggling lots’ jibes
This time last year, Kobbie Mainoo’s Manchester United career looked to be over with then boss Ruben Amorim unconvinced of the midfielder’s ability.
In January 2025, just over two months into a job that would soon prove far too big for him, the hapless Portuguese manager whose time in England was a complete disaster commented: “The Kobbie position, we need time to understand the players, he was struggling a lot defending as a midfielder“.
Fast forward 18 months and the Carrington graduate has long outlasted Amorim at Old Trafford and won his place back. After finding himself on the bench against Hull in the opening defeat, Mainoo helped change United’s fortunes when he started the 5-2 win over Ipswich on Sunday.
Kobbie Mainoo wasn’t trusted by Ruben Amorim(Image: Naomi Baker, Getty Images)
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Following the game, Harry Maguire said: “I think without the ball now, [Kobbie’s] becoming a real monster in there, and I think he wins a lot of second balls. He wins a lot of duels. You won’t want to play against him in there.”
What a transformation 18 months can bring about. Such was Amorim’s lack of confidence in Kobbie Mainoo as a central midfielder that just days following that remark, he actually deployed the academy product up front.
Amorim positioned Mainoo near the opposition penalty area due to his nimble footwork and capacity to operate in tight spaces. His impressive goalscoring record would indicate this wasn’t such a terrible notion, though Amorim’s underlying intentions were equally apparent – he was reluctant to have Mainoo anywhere near his own box.
Mainoo continues to prove Ruben Amorim wrong every week(Image: Ash Donelon, Manchester United via Getty Images)
Eventually, with two attacking midfielders and a striker at his disposal, Mainoo faded into obscurity. He found himself on the bench week after week under Amorim and his Manchester United future looked precarious until the Portuguese manager was sacked.
One can only imagine Amorim’s thoughts on this current incarnation of Mainoo. The 21-year-old returned to the first team on Sunday and produced yet another complete performance that highlighted his emerging quality.
A penny for Thomas Tuchel’s thoughts as well. Mainoo’s work without the ball showed marked improvement last season, when Michael Carrick immediately brought him back into the team and he forged an excellent midfield combination with Casemiro.
But with the Brazilian having departed and Carlos Baleba still not match-fit, Mainoo occupied the deepest position against Ipswich and appeared every inch an elite-level No. 6.
Mainoo won nine out of 12 duels against Ipswich
While Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes both completed 28 passes into the final third, Mainoo managed only half that number. But that wasn’t his brief on the day.
He was aggressive, he was robust, he prevailed in his contests and he remained alert to threats around him. He certainly wasn’t finding it difficult to defend as a midfielder.
Mainoo emerged victorious in nine of his 13 duels and regained possession 10 times. Both figures represented the highest amongst his United colleagues. There were also three tackles, two interceptions and two fouls won — a crucial attribute for a deep-lying midfielder to relieve pressure on his side.
Centre-halves can often serve as the finest assessors of those operating directly ahead of them, as they recognise when they’re receiving adequate protection, and they’ll spot when they’re not. So the fact that Mainoo’s performance earned such glowing praise from Maguire seemed significant.
The 21-year-old has bulked up over the summer(Image: Richard Sellers/Allstar, Getty Images)
“I think his work without the ball has improved so much since Michael’s been in. That’s probably credit to Michael and his staff,” he said. It was apparent last season that, as the campaign progressed, Mainoo’s defensive contribution was becoming increasingly impressive.
He has added muscle and enhanced his physical presence, but his positioning and awareness have developed tremendously as well.
You don’t regain possession and win challenges as frequently as Mainoo managed against Ipswich without positioning yourself correctly, which is crucial when operating in that role.
To be fair to Mainoo, he was thrown in at the deep end as a teenager when playing in midfield under Erik ten Hag’s second iteration of United. Having constructed a solid and defensively-minded team in 2022/23, he attempted to progress but created enormous gaps in midfield that Casemiro and Mainoo found difficult to plug.
It’s no accident that the same partnership appeared far more solid under Carrick when the positioning was superior, the spaces in the team were reduced, and there was greater control.
Now United have lost Casemiro’s experience, and while Baleba appears to be the natural No. 6 in this midfield, there should be no worries about Mainoo stepping into that position either.
