“He knew…“: Shocking Kobbie Mainoo revelation threatens to derail United’s squad harmony – Ben Jacobs

Ruben Amorim’s treatment of Manchester United wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo has surprised many. Just a year ago, the Englishman shone for his country in the Euro final, while guiding his club to the FA Cup trophy courtesy of a masterclass performance in the summit clash. There were fleeting moments of promise under the new head coach as well. Who can forget that last-gasp equaliser in the Europa League against Olympique Lyonnais? Fans were expecting the Carrington graduate to kick on under Amorim this season. However, things have gone from bad to worse. Amorim’s treatment of Kobbie Mainoo has been surprising The England international has not started a single Premier League game this term, and in his only start in the Carabao Cup, he struggled to impose himself. Amorim’s decision to utilise him as a No.8 instead of a defensive midfielder has not helped either, with Bruno Fernandes almost guaranteed to start every game. With Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte struggling, there is space for the Stockport-born ace to make his mark in front of the backline, but the ex-Sporting CP boss does not think so. The 20-year-old did come on in Casemiro’s place against Bournemouth as the Red Devils were chasing the game. Fractured relationship between the pair His intricate combination play really helped spark the revival, but once again, he struggled to shield the backline effectively as the Cherries equalised at the death. It has been reported that both Amorim and Kobbie Mainoo do not see eye-to-eye, and the fractured relationship could get worse thanks to the stunt the United midfielder’s half-brother pulled off. Jordan Mainoo-Hames chose to wear a “Free Kobbie Mainoo” T-shirt to the Bournemouth game, amid rumours of the United No.37 looking to leave in the winter window as he eyes regular gametime. While most blamed the brother for jeopardising Mainoo’s career prospects thanks to the idiotic stunt he pulled, Ben Jacobs has a different take on the tale. Idiotic stunt was backed by Kobbie Mainoo? In a shocking revelation, the journalist claimed Kobbie Mainoo was aware of the T-shirt and he endorsed the message as well. Kobbie Mainoo is firmly out of favour at Man United this season, playing just over 200 minutes in the Premier League 😮 His half-brother Jordan was spotted wearing a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ t-shirt at the Red Devils’ game vs Bournemouth 😅😬 📸 IG/jxrdan pic.twitter.com/gw5LG6752X — OneFootball (@OneFootball) December 16, 2025 “My understanding is Kobbie Mainoo was speaking through his brother, he knew about the (FREE KOBBIE MAINOO) t-shirt, and he endorsed the message. “The notion that Mainoo is getting buried under Amorim is, to some extent, fueled by the player himself.” INEOS need to step in Amorim had already kicked out Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho from the team in the summer over their repeated attempts to undermine his authority. And now, this latest information could lead to the squad’s harmony getting destroyed at a crucial juncture of the season. Hopefully, this information proves to be false, or INEOS steps in to nip this controversy in the bud. Feature 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25