Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke says the situation around Kobbie Mainoo at Old Trafford is “bizarre”.
Mainoo in the wilderness
Mainoo is widely reported to be keen on a move from United after head coach Ruben Amorim has omitted the England man from the starting XI in all but one match – the League Cup defeat by Grimsby.
Several clubs have been linked with a January loan move for Mainoo, even though Amorim implied in a recent press conference that he would not be allowed to leave in the winter.
In an exclusive interview courtesy of Escapist Magazine, we asked Yorke for his take on the situation.
“Yeah, it’s a bizarre one, isn’t it?”, the treble winner said. “It’s a bit of a concern because he had made a rapid rise into the team and into the England set-up and to fall off in the manner that he did – I know he got a little injury setback and that seemed to knock him – but he hasn’t really recovered or he’s not been given the opportunity to play.
“You don’t want to lose the young players like him going through. But the manager has got to manage that. That’s part of his job, to manage that and make sure he gets game time.
“The more he is not used, the more likely he wants to leave. The manager has got to find a way to integrate him into the team. And if he’s not going to do that, then the more that he doesn’t play, the more likely he’ll want to move because he’s missing out on an opportunity to go to the World Cup.”
Use him or lose him
Yorke then fired a warning to head coach Ruben Amorim, saying he needs to find a solution quickly.
“The fact that he’s not playing, he’s going to be unhappy,” Yorke observed. “So you factor in all that, there is only going to be one outcome.
“Until the manager uses him in playing, then any player, let alone a young player, wants to leave the football club. And you can’t afford to let that talent go by.
“We’re seeing that with, to use an example, McTominay, who we thought was great for us and then left. You see how he’s blossomed since he left.
“Mainoo has probably got that potential as well, so we’ve got to be very careful with that. But it’s certainly not healthy for the young man mentally and physically. If he is not playing that’s going to daunt him for a while.
“Part of the manager’s job is to integrate that and make sure that Mainoo has got in-game time.”
The first part of our interview with Dwoght Yorke can be read here, and the second here.
Featured image George Wood via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
Red Billy
Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and two magazines and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy first saw United live in 1971, watching George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law, before becoming a League Match ticket book holder from 1975/76 and a writer since 1995. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
