Little room for Kobbie Mainoo in Rúben Amorim’s vision of a revamped Manchester United

Remember Kobbie Mainoo? The lad from Stockport heralded as Manchester United’s new midfield general? A player likened at 19 to Zinedine Zidane by Paul Scholes and whose 2024 FA Cup final winner toppled the noisy neighbours from across town when he ghosted into Manchester City’s area before a silky smooth touch and finish past Ederson?

Now, at a club of serial false dawns and zero title challenges since Alex Ferguson retired 12 years ago, Mainoo is at a career crossroads. As Rúben Amorim becomes the latest manager to try to build United a shiny new world, Mainoo is a mere substitute. Amorim has no place for him in his 3-4-3 formation after a damning assessment that Mainoo lacks legs for the engine room or the pace to operate as one of the two 10s.

Rewind to the August after Mainoo’s Cup final goal and his emergence as England’s star turn at the summer’s European Championship and reading Scholes’ take on him is quasi-surreal.

“He’s the nearest thing I’ve seen to Zidane in taking a ball, receiving the ball, cruising past people,” gushed a man considered the pre-eminent schemer of Ferguson’s gilded reign. “The first time I saw him I remember that calmness. The way he received the ball with confidence; I just couldn’t believe such a young player could do that.”

Confidence and calmness seem the ideal blend for the footballer asked to patrol the relentless midfield traffic of the elite game where matches are decided. Not for Amorim. Well, not Mainoo’s version. And so, as the close of the market loomed, the head coach pursued Brighton’s Carlos Baleba to fill a hole caused by his lack of faith in Mainoo.

Manchester United head coach Rúben Amorim. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

“We have a lack of pace, especially in the middle of the park and you can feel it is hard to win and bring the ball,” was Amorim’s searing verdict after a tepid goalless draw with Leeds in Stockholm on July 19th. Mainoo, a half-time change in Sweden’s capital for Bruno Fernandes, again failed to convince the boss. So we saw Amorim’s courting of Baleba, for whom Brighton’s asking price of about £100 million for a still raw 21-year-old has prompted United to cool their interest.

On Friday Fabian Hürzeler signalled the Cameroonian would not be moving. “Very, very, very confident [he will stay],” Brighton’s head coach said. “I didn’t see any change in him. He only changed his hair; that was the only change he made in the last two weeks. Overall, he seems to be in a really good place. He’s enjoying it with his team-mates. He’s enjoying being a Brighton player. He’s very grateful to have the progress he made in the last season.”

Amorim may turn to alternative options, including his former Sporting captain Morten Hjulmand. But the strategy of his first summer window in charge has been questionable. To land two No 10s, a No 9, and no “pace in midfield” as Amorim tries to revamp United screams of lopsided thinking before Arsenal’s arrival for Sunday’s curtain-raiser.

Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are the new playmakers, and Benjamin Sesko the centre-forward. Yet how the centre of the team fares against title-contending visitors will provide a barometer of how crucial the market’s closing days are for the Amorim-Jim Ratcliffe project.

To splurge £62.5 million on prising Cunha from Wolves, £71 million on Mbeumo from Brentford and £73.7 million on Sesko from RB Leipzig for a total £207.2 million outlay but still leave the heart of the side lacking as September 1st nears seems portentous. Amorim, his director of football, Jason Wilcox, the chief executive, Omar Berrada, and their boss, Ratcliffe, may hide behind the horse-trading that can be chasing players’ signatures. But all rivals face the same wheeling-dealing challenge, and not all have the financial muscle that can help lure recruits with lucrative salaries as United do.

More damning is how midfield has been a glaring issue for a relative age. Basically since last Christmas when Amorim decided Mainoo was not able to hustle up and down the pitch; an intriguing assessment for a then teenager previously etched on to the team sheet under Erik ten Hag and who started England’s Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain.

Kobbie Mainoo in action for Manchester United against Manchester City's Oscar Bobb and Erling Haaland. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

Last term two separate muscle injuries ruled Mainoo out for 83 days. The first, from October 17th to November 11th, came in the period when Amorim was appointed to replace Ten Hag; the second (February 10th-April 7th) came with Mainoo an established bench-warmer.

Mainoo then had to watch an ageing and paceless Casemiro line up ahead of him in May’s 1-0 Europa League final defeat by Tottenham, the latest of the stark notices from Amorim that began when he tried rejigging Mainoo’s position over the winter.

January’s 2-0 Europa League group game win at FCSB featured him as one of the 10s (alongside Christian Eriksen). Mainoo scored but the following week at Crystal Palace he was moved to a false 9 berth. United lost 2-0 and Amorim hooked him after 70 minutes for Rasmus Højlund. Five days later, back as a 10 for the 2-1 Cup victory over Leicester, he lasted 64 minutes.

Next came the second injury, new contract talks stalling (Mainoo wants his £52,000-a-week terms upped to about £180,000, whereas United’s offer is nearer £100,000), the club being open to offers for him and only four starts after he returned to fitness for United’s closing 12 matches, none in Amorim’s prioritised competition, the Europa League.

Now with Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte ahead of him for Amorim’s two midfield spots (plus Casemiro maybe, too), and Cunha/Mbeumo beginning as the preferred 10 axis, Mainoo has what may be an unwinnable fight to regain a berth in the XI.

On Friday, Amorim said of Sesko: “First of all, physically he’s ready. That is a big component in our league.”

How Mainoo must wish the head coach viewed him the same.

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