Kobbie Mainoo is finding it frustratingly difficult to break into Ruben Amorim’s starting line-up at Manchester United.
In the recent 4-1 win over Wolves, Manchester United fans gave Kobbie Mainoo a roaring welcome when he was brought on as a substitute.
It reflects the feeling in the fanbase that the 20-year-old Carrington graduate should be getting much more game time than his 183 Premier League minutes in 2025/26.
THIS was Ruben Amorim and Kobbie Mainoo’s first meeting – November 12, 2024
Even Ruben Amorim admits Mainoo deserves to start, but squeezing him into a midfield pivot has proven difficult because Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro are both in great form.
Mainoo has been working hard behind the scenes to force his way back into the XI, and he should take note of what Amorim loved his players doing at Sporting Lisbon.
What made Ruben Amorim’s Sporting midfield so great
It is well known at United that Amorim will not stray from the 3-4-2-1 formation that brought him so much success in Portugal.
Amorim has tweaked his tactics at United since making the move to Manchester, but generally his footballing philosophy remains the same.
Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim?
The Athletic broke down Amorim’s tactics in Sporting and data proved that they ranked in the top 1% for being press resistant. Sporting also ranked extremely highly for preventing chances as well as for their intensity.
Mainoo’s composure is one of his best traits, and he is arguably one of United’s most press-resistant midfielders, but Amorim has pointed out multiple times that he wants the young midfielder to add more intensity and pace to his game.
The report adds that, under Amorim, Sporting were “as likely to progress the ball quickly via passes into the channel as to recycle possession across the pitch”. Amorim wants his central midfielders to break lines, take risks and inject energy.
Ruben Amorim has told Kobbie Mainoo where to improve
While Kobbie Mainoo is incredibly composed in possession and is brilliant at slowing the tempo of a game to give United control, Amorim sometimes wants him to inject more energy into the side.
Speaking at the end of last season, Amorim told Mainoo to improve his pace. Not necessarily in terms of his actual speed, but his ability to increase the tempo and apply pressure to opposition.
“When I see Kobbie, I see a lot of talent. But in the way I see it, I could be wrong. I see some things that Kobbie has to improve: his pace in the game. He needs to improve in the build-up,” Amorim said in April.
“Near the box, he has a lot of talent.”
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand says he completely agrees with what Paul Scholes has said about Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes for position because Amorim prefers one of his midfielders to sit deeper – a role that could prove uncomfortable for Mainoo.
But while Fernandes often attempts a risky pass or looks to inject some energy into United’s attack, that is where Mainoo must prove he has improved.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/wqrHt02