Injury setback means incredible 88-year record could be on cusp of snapping – The Athletic

Manchester United received some bad news yesterday with Kobbie Mainoo being out of the Tottenham Hotspur match that will kick off this lunchtime. Difficult season The 2022 Youth Cup winner was one of the breakout stars of the 2023-2024 campaign. Mainoo scored crucial goals and became a mainstay of the United midfield, scoring in and winning the 2024 FA Cup final. Nonetheless, he has struggled for gametime under Ruben Amorim and the young star has been linked with a loan move away from the club in January. The 20 year old has been involved in eight matches this season but often as a substitute. Therefore, he has only played a total of 228 minutes all season. He has provided one assist though. Injury The Athletic report that “Kobbie Mainoo will miss Manchester United’s match at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday with a minor injury.” They also add that “while that in itself is disappointing for a player eager for more minutes, it does also raise the prospect of wider-reaching deflation.” With the international break coming up, United won’t be in action again until they welcome Everton to Old Trafford on Monday 24th November. Record under threat Since 1937 and a grand total of 4,332 successive games, United have included an academy graduate in their first-team squad. Mainoo has been that connection with him being the only academy product in the entire matchday squad five times this season and in the last four games. What’s more, “Tyler Fredricson and Tom Heaton have made matchday squads a handful of times too, but neither since the Brentford game, which heralded the arrival of Senne Lammens as the new No 1, shifting Altay Bayindir to back-up. United’s healthy squad has limited Fredricson’s chances.” Jack Fletcher to the rescue Ruben Amorim is seemingly aware of the situation and has called up Jack Fletcher to the squad to keep the run going. Nonetheless, with the recent departures of Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Alejandro Garnacho, it seems the record has not been in greater threat in a very long time. Amorim spoke on the issue in September and asserted, “we want to maintain that, I don’t want to be the guy to break that record, or that idea. If you see the past of Manchester United, it’s built on kids who grow up here for a long time. I think that should be our goal in the future, so I should try maintain that, that is for sure.” With a glut of talent coming through the youth ranks with players such as Chido Obi, Shea Lacey, Jim Thwaites and Jacob Devaney on the cusp of a role in the senior squad, this could be the last time the record is threatened in a long time. Kobbie Mainoo stats NameAppearancesGoalsAssists Years active Kobbie Mainoo80732023-present Source: transfermarkt.com Featured image Jan Kruger 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 Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.