Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea has questioned a ‘strange’ decision from Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford in recent weeks.
Manchester United opened their campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal. Despite the result, the performance showed plenty of promise and gave reason for optimism.
Their second fixture, away at Fulham, ended in a 1-1 draw. Although the point added to their tally, the display left more questions than answers and highlighted some worrying issues.
Matters deteriorated further in the Carabao Cup, where United endured a shocking penalty shootout loss to League Two side Grimsby Town. After going 2-0 down, they were fortunate to even push the tie into extra time.
Following what had looked like a highly encouraging pre-season tour, Ruben Amorim already finds himself under significant pressure, and United must quickly establish consistency if they are to steady their season.
O’Shea questions ‘strange’ Amorim decision
The mood at Old Trafford has not only been low because of the results, but also due to reports suggesting that Kobbie Mainoo could leave the club.
Amorim decided against using the midfielder against Arsenal or Fulham before he played 90 minutes at Grimsby. But there are suggestions that he may depart before the transfer window closes.
This is a decision that ex-United defender John O’Shea believes would be a big mistake for his former club to make.
“He’s a quality player, United cannot afford to be losing him or selling him for any reason whatsoever,” O’Shea told talkSPORT.
“He’s definitely part of the future of the club and he’s going to be successful without a doubt.”
Amorim already going back on his word
One of the things which caused anger in relation to Mainoo’s situation is that Amorim said he was in direct competition with Bruno Fernandes for a space in the team.
The club captain has started all but 11 games for United in all competitions since Mainoo’s full Premier League debut against Everton in 2023/24.
“I found it slightly strange that the manager mentioned that he’s just in competition with Bruno,” O’Shea added.
“I just found that a little bit strange. I know he’s probably putting a bit of a challenge to him, saying: ‘Listen, that’s who you’re up against’.
“Bruno has obviously been a top performer for the last few season, so it’s a little bit strange, but hopefully it’s just a bit of a wake-up call for Mainoo to do something a bit different.”
Ironically, Mainoo and Fernandes played together in the latter stages against Grimsby and before the match, Amorim seemed to go back on his word to say that they actually can play together.
For the next game against Burnley, they should both be in the team.
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