The choice of Bruno Fernandes’ midfield partner was up for controversy prior to Manchester United’s Premier League first matchup with Arsenal.
Fernandes was bound to be used as one of the two No. 8s when Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo were added to the attacking ranks. Last season, he was much more productive from the engine room and frequently dropped deep.
Casemiro was selected for the season opener even though he has regressed in each of the previous two Premier League seasons. His job was to maintain order in the midfield.
Many thought the club should have tried to move the Brazilian this summer, as he enters the final year of his United deal and turns 34 in February. Rather, he has started both of the Reds’ first two games after holding his spot during Sunday’s draw at Fulham.
Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo were benched for the second consecutive game as a result of once again being paired with Fernandes. Additionally, similar to the match against Arsenal, Ruben Amorim called on Ugarte in the second half while Mainoo was not.
As a result, the 20-year-old is yet to make his season-opening Premier League appearance. It would be difficult to find someone who thought Mainoo would start United’s first two games on the bench.
The England international’s future at Old Trafford is uncertain, despite the fact that he has just under two years left on his contract. Amorim stated last week that there has been no development in securing a new contract for him.
Since coming to United, Amorim has had trouble deciding on Mainoo’s ideal position, assigning him to play as a No. 8, No. 10, and even a false nine. Since it is well known that he is a forward-thinking player, it is difficult to defend Amorim’s decision to play him in the center of midfield with Fernandes given their offensive goals.
For this reason, Amorim was correct when he said that Mainoo and Fernandes were vying for the same position following the stalemate at Craven Cottage.
Amorim remarked, “He’s fighting for the position now with Bruno,” “I also swap out two midfielders. We want to score, so I let Mason Mount [play] there. After I made a change, I thought the squad needed to go back to having one holding midfielder close to Bruno.
“Mainoo only needs to battle Bruno for the job, which should go to Manchester United. He will occasionally play with Bruno, but right now he is competing with Bruno for the position during training.”
United is still looking to add a midfield player with less than a week left in the transfer window. They are looking for a player with an athletic profile who can presumably enhance Fernandes’ qualities in the engine room.
The idea of bringing in a compatible partner runs the risk of making Mainoo even less important. And should that happen, United, who still need to make money this summer through sales, would be in a position where they are willing to pay for a player who was once thought of as their best asset.
United may be eager to cash in on the academy graduate because they aren’t currently at the forefront of Amorim’s plans, if CEO Omar Berrada’s remarks regarding player sales are any indication.
Since Mainoo hasn’t participated in either of United’s first two games, the team might be willing to approve an exit if a chance arises in the next few days.
If the price is good, they should think about allowing Amorim go if he has no ambitions to play Mainoo in a significant role. He should be playing because he is a talented player.
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