Kobbie Mainoo is Manchester United’s under-used superstar. Is there a reason Ruben Amorim has lost trust?
Manchester United fans are frustrated with the way Kobbie Mainoo has been overlooked this season at the club.
Mainoo is a favourite at United after breaking through the academy, winning the FA Youth Cup and then scoring the winner in the FA Cup Final.
But more recently, Mainoo has been on a downward slide. Following on from the Europa League Final where he was a 90th minute substitute, Mainoo has become a forgotten man despite Manchester United’s midfield looking far from perfect.
Mainoo’s only start in 2025/26 came in the Carabao Cup against Grimsby, where he was substituted early as United drew the game and lost on penalties.
In the Premier League so far he has played just 118 minutes of football, split across six games, without much opportunity to make an impact.
Head coach Ruben Amorim has made clear he prefers his other options, despite showing faith in Mainoo early in his reign, and towards the end of last season.
Below we will take a look into the results when Mainoo has been given all 90 minutes in a Manchester United shirt under Amorim, with a view to seeing if there is a reason why the coach has taken his current stance…
Manchester United 2-3 Nottingham Forest
December 7, 2024
An unhappy afternoon at Old Trafford saw Ruben Amorim suffer a first home defeat as Manchester United manager.
Mainoo had played 80 minutes in the 4-0 win at Everton a week earlier. This time he played the full 90 for the first time under Ruben Amorim and it did not go nearly as well.
This 3-2 defeat saw Manchester United’s efforts were destroyed by an Andre Onana clanger in goal, with Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes on the scoresheet.
Mainoo partnered Manuel Ugarte in midfield, and while he didn’t play badly, opponents Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliott Anderson enjoyed far more success.
Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth
December 22, 2024
A truly terrible performance from Manchester United, Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth were simply better from start to finish.
Once again Mainoo started alongside Manuel Ugarte. The South American was hooked after 55 minutes, with Bruno Fernandes moving into a deeper role.
United were 1-0 down at the time and went on to lose the game 3-0. It was another frustrating 90 minutes for Mainoo.
FCSB 0-2 Manchester United
January 30, 2025
The only time Kobbie Mainoo played 90 minutes under Ruben Amorim in the Europa League, it went pretty perfectly.
Mainoo played in an advanced role in Romania, setting up a strike for Diogo Dalot, and scoring his first goal under Amorim.
It was not an experiment that caught on, and with all the other ‘number 10s’ at the club, this is not a position where Mainoo has a future.
Unfortunately for Mainoo, this was his last start in the Europa League for the rest of the season.
Brentford 4-3 Manchester United
May 4, 2025
It took just over three months for Mainoo to get another 90 minutes under his belt, and even longer since the previous time in the Premier League.
It turned out to be another Premier League defeat for Mainoo, with United flattered by the scoreline away at Brentford, 4-1 down until a late rally.
Mainoo started alongside Manuel Ugarte again, with both players completing the 90 minutes.
Manchester United 0-2 West Ham
May 11, 2025
Another late season defeat, with Manchester United very focused on the Europa League by this point, a loss to a poor West Ham team was still unacceptable.
Kobbie Mainoo has not completed 90 minutes since, but it was his midfield partner Manuel Ugarte who made a calamitous error in this fixture.
Both players were left out of the Europa League Final, and Ugarte has failed to complete 90 minutes this season either – although he has started twice.
Kobbie Mainoo may have lost Ruben Amorim’s trust, but how much is his fault?
Kobbie Mainoo has completed 90 minutes five times for Manchester United and been on the losing team four times.
In the Premier League it is four defeats from four games, and most worryingly, three of these have been home fixtures at Old Trafford.
With this in mind, Ruben Amorim may have simply lost faith in Mainoo, and this is borne out by his selections so far this season.
But it is worth noting that all of Mainoo’s 90 minutes in the Premier League have come when he played alongside Manuel Ugarte. Perhaps that is simply a combination that does not work – rather than being specifically down to the youngster.
When Mainoo played 80 minutes in the Premier League it was alongside Casemiro and United won 4-0 over Everton.
If the time comes for Amorim to give Mainoo another opportunity, it would make a lot more sense to partner him with Casemiro, and not Ugarte.
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