Kobbie Mainoo ensuring he leaves no stone unturned amidst Manchester United struggles
There has been a lot of talk around Kobbie Mainoo and his future at Manchester United. It has been a subject of debate among the supporters at M16 in recent weeks. And all this comes through the fact that the 20-year-old academy graduate has been struggling to aggregate game time under Ruben Amorim of late.
And now in a bid to get back into contention at Carrington, it looks like Mainoo has taken matters into his own hands. The England international has been making significant changes off the pitch as he looks to get back into accommodating starts at Old Trafford.
To put his lack of minutes into context, the 20-year-old has only had 166 minutes under his belt in four appearances. And he has started only one time this season. If you think about this and compare it with last season, that number is a huge drop-off. He played 37 times across all competitions in the 2024/25 season.
Now Mainoo has found himself behind Bruno Fernandes in the pecking order. This comes because Amorim suddenly prefers to play his countryman in deeper roles.
Mainoo fights back as he makes changes off the field
Football Insider revealed that Amorim was even open to selling Mainoo on permanent transfer in the recently concluded summer window. The board at M16 went on to block any permanent sale or loan move for the academy starboy. Everyone at United (from the board to the fans) values Mainoo quite highly, but the fact that the former Sporting Lisbon manager has not been using him has caused confusion.
We have seen a lot of pundits and a section of supporters openly criticising the situation. There are questions raised about how a player who holds such promise has been reduced to the fringes.
But Mainoo is not backing down. He has reportedly got himself a new private chef. The Englishman is also working closely with a personal coach to improve both his physical condition and technical level. And according to Manchester Evening News in their latest report, the 20-year-old is “desperate” to fight for more starts and sees this professionalism off the pitch as the best way to impress Amorim.
WAFU Opinion
Now these changes show how determined Mainoo is. He is not going to just sit back and wait. Instead, he decided to actively raise his standards to match that of that manager, who regards intensity and discipline quite highly.
If the Portuguese head coach values mentality as much as talent, then these changes off the pitch could be a way for Mainoo to get his name back into the starting eleven at Old Trafford.
Do you think Amorim is wrong in holding Mainoo back and reducing his influence to a bits-and-parts role at M16? Let us know your thoughts in the comment below.