Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has opened up on why he feels Rúben Amorim continues not to start Kobbie Mainoo.
With Manchester United sitting tenth in the Premier League following the season’s second international break, Rúben Amorim is already facing plenty of scrutiny.
The Portuguese coach has remained loyal to his 3-4-2-1 setup, despite widespread criticism that it fails to get the best out of United’s key players, including captain Bruno Fernandes.
Another player struggling under Amorim’s system is Kobbie Mainoo, who is yet to start a league game this season.
Having pushed for a loan move late in the summer window, Mainoo was ultimately kept at the club — a decision that has left him short of consistent playing time.
Amorim’s Mainoo decisions are personal
Mainoo’s rocket start at United was nothing less than spectacular. After being injured in the 2023 pre-season tour, the young midfielder was able to fight his way into Erik ten Hag’s starting XI by November, and his positive performances saw him start for England in the Euro 2024 final.
However, his second season in Red was ravaged by injuries. Since Amorim took over the helm at Old Trafford, Mainoo has been afforded minimal minutes, having started just one fixture since the start of the current campaign.
Former United defender Paul Parker, who featured prominently under Sir Alex Ferguson, believes that Amorim’s decision to avoid playing Mainoo so far this campaign is a personal problem, rather than a tactical choice.
“We also have to ask why Mainoo hasn’t been used in that midfield,” Parker said. Somewhere along the line, because I’ve been looking at it, it has to be personal.
“It has to be personal, and the truth has to be told somewhere. He doesn’t like him, or he doesn’t like him as a player. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”
When speaking about the prospect of selling Mainoo, he continued: “It would cause big problems if they allow Mainoo to go because he’s a local boy. But it’s not just about that, it’s about what he’s achieved in a short space of time, and he hasn’t been given the time and the respect.”
Amorim says he believes in Mainoo
Contrary to Parker’s claims, the United head coach has been adamant whenever questioned about the midfielder, stating that he believes Mainoo is a top player but has many improvements to make.
“I believe in him a lot. He is a top player,” the 40-year-old said last month. “But some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done [a complete player]. I think he can do so much better.
“For some guys, [talent] is enough, but for him it is not. Maybe it’s not fair, but I think I’m helping Kobbie and that’s it.”
While there have rightly been questions about whether Mainoo has the stamina and defensive capabilities to play in the midfield two that Amorim deploys, a larger question remains: could anyone survive in that pairing?
Regularly, United seem as if they are ripped through in midfield when playing against anyone who deploys a midfield three, leading some to suggest that singling out Mainoo as the only player who cannot play the position is unfair on the 20-year-old talent.
Paul Parker was speaking to MyBettingSites.
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