Despite their dominance, Manchester United fell to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils were relentless, both with and without the ball, hardly allowing the visitors time on the ball. They certainly deserved a point, if not all three.
However, Ruben Amorim’s decision to bring off Casemiro for Manuel Ugarte seemed to suck away the positive momentum, with the Uruguayan enduring a cameo to forget.
Almost every touch of his led to a tackle, while his wayward shooting and safe passing was a huge detriment to the hosts building up a head of steam.
Fans wanted Mainoo in place of Ugarte
Fans were not too impressed, especially as Kobbie Mainoo was sat there on the bench. The Englishman is a much better carrier of the ball, and has proven to be the difference-maker for the 20-time English league champions in the past.
However, the Portuguese tactician does not feel the England international has the ability to effectively occupy the defensive midfield position.
According to the head coach, the Carrington graduate is more suited to the role currently being played by Bruno Fernandes. This information comes courtesy The Manchester Evening News.
With the captain staying on against the Gunners, Amorim opted not to bring Kobbie Mainoo on, instead choosing to bring on Ugarte.
“Amorim views Ugarte and Casemiro as competitors for one of the deeper midfield positions, and views Fernandes and Mainoo as competitors for the partnership’s other side.
Head coach has other ideas
“Amorim has tinkered with Mainoo’s position since his appointment from Sporting Lisbon in November, which hasn’t been particularly helpful, but it appears he has decided on which role is best for him.”
Under Amorim, the 20-year-old has played in a variety of positions, but now, the ex-Sporting CP boss might have finally found his best position.
He had made it clear that the midfield talent is at his most dangerous closer to goal, but with Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo brought in this summer, it is more likely that he will earn minutes as part of the double pivot rather than as a No.10.
However, with the club captain ahead of him in the pecking order, it remains to be seen how many minutes Mainoo gets as the No.8. He did play last season as part of a double pivot with Ugarte, but in those games, Fernandes occupied one of the attacking midfield roles.
There will be plenty of chopping and changing during the season. Hopefully, Amorim can find a place for the talented wonderkid. Or else, lot of teams are monitoring proceedings with interest. With a new deal yet to be agreed, there are teams ready to pounce.
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
