Manchester United have long had problems in the midfield, and opted against signing reinforcements in the summer transfer window.
The decision must have been taken with the belief that the existing options are sufficient for Ruben Amorim’s needs.
The Portuguese has mostly opted for a pairing of Casemiro and a repurposed Bruno Fernandes in a deeper role, but does have other midfielders available to him.
Odd man out
Manuel Ugarte has got some minutes, stepping in to replace Casemiro when needed and adding some steel in the middle of the park.
This has left Kobbie Mainoo, once the brightest spark in the United squad, warming the bench.
Amorim appears to have pitted the Englishman against Fernandes, who has carried the team for years and is as undroppable as anyone currently in United red.
Fans have become increasingly frustrated with the head coach’s stubbornness in not using Mainoo, and frequently reserve one of the biggest cheers on matchday for his usual cameo.
Mainoo “unhappy” at United
Now SullyTalkz has dropped the bombshell that the 20-year-old is actively “unhappy” at his current role at the club.
He notes that the player has been working “extra hard” to regain a starting spot, including doing extra work with a fitness coach to gain the physicality Amorim seems to want from him.
Staff at the club have been “extremely impressed” with his professionalism and attitude to training, particularly in light of his rejected request for a loan move towards the end of the window.
Targeting the World Cup
But despite his apparently resolute attitude, Mainoo “will ask to leave on a loan move again in January” if his situation doesn’t improve.
His reasoning, apart from the undoubted professional frustration, is that he wants to be in the England squad for next year’s World Cup.
Unsurprisingly, he feels that his current lack of game time won’t get him there.
SullyTalkz offers some reassurance: “Despite his frustrations, he will continue to work hard to push for a starting spot and continue to be a model professional behind the scenes.”
Reading between the lines, Mainoo would likely stay at Old Trafford should his situation improve – Amorim needs to wake up and use him before he loses him. Napoli are the latest team said to be eager to sign him should he become available.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
