Dimitar Berbatov believes that one Manchester United star is in a very difficult situation at the club, after a severe lack of gametime so far this season.
Rúben Amorim named Matheus Cunha to lead the line as Manchester United travelled to North London to take on Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s Premier League clash.
Tottenham controlled much of the early possession but struggled to create clear chances, while United remained disciplined and patient. The visitors broke the deadlock shortly before half-time when Bryan Mbeumo headed in from close range after a precise cross from Amad, giving Amorim’s side a narrow lead at the interval.
Spurs started the second half with renewed energy, forcing goalkeeper Senne Lammens into several sharp saves to preserve United’s advantage. Brennan Johnson thought he had equalised midway through the half, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
As the game entered its final stages, both managers turned to their benches. Frank’s substitutions paid off first, with Mathys Tel finding the net to make it 1–1 with seven minutes remaining.
In stoppage time, Richarlison appeared to have completed the comeback for Spurs, but Matthijs de Ligt rose highest to head home a dramatic late equaliser, ensuring United left North London with a hard-earned point.
Kobbie Mainoo in a tough situation
While he couldn’t play against Tottenham due to injury, Kobbie Mainoo has only picked up 138 Premier League minutes at just over a quarter of the way through the 2025/26 campaign, a far cry from the 1,666 minutes he played in total last season.
Speaking to the MailOnline, former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov spoke about the 20-year-old’s tough situation at the club and what’s next.
“It’s a very tough situation, especially for a young player,” the Bulgarian said.
“It shows you how football can be a really cruel game at times because Kobbie Mainoo was playing, he reached the England national team, he was going up, up, and up. All of a sudden, he is not being picked.
“Now the question is, does he stay positive, patient, and wait for his moment again? Or he needs to move to a different place to play regularly to get his confidence back and come back to United and start playing more regularly?
“I’d like to see him play because the talent is there to see, that decision-making, that calmness and arrogance which you need with the ball at your feet is there, even at his age. I like that. But at the moment, the manager doesn’t see something he can use from the first minute of the game.”
Man Utd walking into the same mistake
Despite reports that Amorim would block any potential moves for Mainoo because of the Africa Cup of Nations, where he will lose some of his key players, ahead of the World Cup in June, the 20-year-old will be desperate for game time to be named in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad.
Napoli have been heavily linked with a move for Mainoo, with former team-mate Scott McTominay pushing his current side to make the move.
If any loan move goes through, it’s imperative that there is no option to buy included, so United don’t end up making the same mistake as they did with current Real Madrid left-back Álvaro Carreras, who slipped through the cracks at Old Trafford
Signed from Real Madrid in 2020, Carreras enjoyed great success in United’s youth teams, winning the Reserve Team Player of the Year award for the 2021-22 season.
After going on a couple of loans to Preston North End and Granada, the now 22-year-old still failed to make an impression on then boss Erik ten Hag, and, faced with an injury crisis at left-back, opted to sign Sergio Reguilon on loan rather than have faith in the Spanish left-back.
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Carreras’ loan deal with Benfica included an optional buy clause, which the Portuguese club activated after a great loan spell for a fee of £7 million. Just one year later, Real Madrid opted to re-sign their former academy product for a fee of £43 million.
Despite holding a £17 million buy-back clause, United opted against signing the left-back, a position where United have had issues, with Diogo Dalot currently operating in that position, and struggling at times out of position.
Man Utd are rumoured to be investing heavily in a midfielder in the January transfer window, but United mustn’t repeat the same mistake that they made just one year ago and let such a talented prospect like Mainoo slip through the cracks at Old Trafford.
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