- Mainoo reveals all about Amorim treatment
- 21-year-old was close to leaving on loan in winter
- Young Player of the Year nomination shows his quality
Kobbie Mainoo is arguably the first name on the Manchester United team sheet these days.
As one superstar leaves, Casemiro hands the keys of the Reds’ midfield in Mainoo’s hands. Yet, it was not so long ago when the 21-year-old was weighing up his future away from Old Trafford.
Finally, the Stockport-born midfielder has finally broken his silence on his lack of minutes during the Ruben Amorim era. He offered his honest take, which will please a lot of fans who were similarly bewildered at his omission just a few months ago.
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Mainoo’s Mature Admission Hardly Surprising
Not just for Mainoo, but the 2025/26 campaign hasn’t been without its ups and downs for Manchester United. The early months of the campaign under Amorim saw the academy graduate spend an unusual amount of time on the bench. Mainoo found himself as an outsider, as Bruno Fernandes was pushed back to occupy the holding midfield position alongside Casemiro.
Speaking to Sky Sports about that period, Mainoo was unsurprisingly dignified when discussing that period. He said: “When there’s new managers, they have their way that they want to play, and if they think you don’t fit that, then you don’t fit that.”
Amorim was often vigorous in defending his decision not to play the startlet. Yet, Mainoo was able to take some positives from the spell on the sidelines: “It was good for me in terms of learning [about] myself, the game, and patience. How to schedule my life and how I train and how I work, and getting into routines.”
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A Blessing in Disguise
Mainoo came to a temporary departure in the winter. During the January window, Antonio Conte’s Napoli made a concrete push to take the midfielder on loan to Serie A. He admitted: “Close to leaving? When you’re not playing many games, or any games, you consider all things.”
Mainoo was open to the move to secure first-team football in a World Cup year. Manchester United ultimately blocked the deal due to a lack of depth. That decision proved to be a massive blessing in disguise, as Mainoo won his place back instantaneously when the Portuguese head coach was sacked.
The 21-year-old continued: “But at the forefront of my mind was always to play for Manchester United and continue to play for this club that I’ve grown up at.”
The club’s decision to block that Napoli loan move might be the best bit of business they’ve done all year. United fans have enjoyed his partnership with Casemiro in 2026, which would have been football’s “what if?” moments if they never played together.
The ultimate validation of his talent came this week with his nomination for the Premier League Young Player of the Year. To be nominated for such an award despite playing only half a season is a testament to his talent and influence on the side.
Amorim got it wrong, but it inadvertently ended up being a character-building moment for Mainoo to go from a boy to a man in English football.
