Ruben Amorim’s reign at Manchester United may be defined by Kobbie Mainoo decision | OneFootball

With just days remaining of the summer transfer window, news emerging out of Manchester United is that Kobbie Mainoo could depart before the deadline.

It was an idea first floated in January as PSR issues surfaced, though one that would have barely been believable just a few months prior.

Mainoo enjoyed an exceptional breakout campaign in 2023/24, with his introduction into the side coinciding with an upturn in results under Erik ten Hag.

At the season’s end, the teenager had scored in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City at Wembley and earned a place in the England squad for Euro 2024. During that tournament, he featured prominently and started in the final as England finished as runners-up.

Mainoo had emerged from an academy famed for producing talent at a time when Manchester United needed a lift. The Red Devils have stuttered and stumbled in recent seasons. Their period as the Premier League’s dominant force ever distant, a giant fallen and struggling to get up.

That aforementioned FA Cup win provided Erik ten Hag a stay of execution, but by November, the Dutchman was gone. In his place arrived Ruben Amorim, a charismatic coach courted by some of Europe’s best after success at Sporting. He has soon found just how poisoned the Old Trafford chalice appears to be.

Amorim’s impact has been limited, his side struggling to adjust to his principles, and results reaching new lows. United ended last season 15th, their lowest in the Premier League era by a considerable distance, and lowest since last suffering relegation from the top flight in 1974. He’s won less than a quarter of his league games in charge.

Amorim’s advocates insist this is not his team, that his tactical set-up – one he refuses to veer from – needed time. Signings have arrived this summer, but he may yet be defined by those who leave as much as the new recruits.

Mainoo has struggled to find a role in the manager’s 3-4-2-1 system. Too adventurous for the midfield pivot, perhaps not creative enough for an advanced role. It has led to a likely exit.

Amorim, however, may just become the latest coach cursed by his own inability to adapt. All coaches must have their principles, but the very best create cohesion from what’s in front of them.

Pep Guardiola, for example, has continually evolved at Manchester City. From false nines to inverting full-backs and box midfields, he has refreshed his approach. The Premier League is full of coaches that are too smart not to change; Remain rigid and you’ll be figured out. So far, Amorim has shown few signs of that flexibility.

Mainoo, undoubtedly, has the talent to be in Manchester United’s best XI. In the right set-up, he could be a fixture for a decade. Amorim, currently chained to his system, disagrees.

If results do not improve quickly, and Mainoo is allowed to leave, the pitchforks will be out. This is a decision that could define his time – and legacy – at Old Trafford.

For all of the goodwill Amorim has generated with his likeable demeanour, watching Mainoo flourish elsewhere while Manchester United continue to flounder would create irreparable damage to his reputation.

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