Rúben Amorim may take a leaf out of Pep Guardiola’s playbook when it comes to managing Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United next season.
Kobbie Mainoo’s first season as a Manchester United first-team player is something that fans will never forget.
After making his senior debut in January 2023, the Stockport-born star looked promising in the subsequent pre-season, but an ankle injury sustained against Real Madrid halted his progress.
He then made his return in November of that year, starting his first game for the club in a 3-0 win over Everton and won the Player of the Match award, despite Alejandro Garnacho’s incredible bicycle kick early in the first half.
He went on to become a stellar player for the remainder of the campaign, scoring fantastic goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool, as well as the winning goal in the 2024 FA Cup final, with Garnacho hailing Mainoo as “the best player in the squad” after the full-time whistle.
Mainoo also broke into the England squad that summer, starting the 2024 European Championships final, which resulted in an unfortunate 2-1 loss against Spain.
However, his second season did not quite go to plan. Mainoo suffered injuries that kept him out for a total of three months, missing 17 fixtures and finding it hard to break into Rúben Amorim’s squad once the head coach took over from Erik ten Hag.
Mainoo’s future is likely to remain at United
With United’s finances tight this summer, rumours from January onward suggested that Mainoo could be departing the club amid interest from Chelsea, with the club reportedly open to bids of around £70 million for the 20-year-old.
However, these have since subsided with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirming earlier this year that no Academy player would be sold for purely financial reasons.
Since then, it has emerged that Mainoo is expected to stay at United this summer and sign a new contract with the Reds, as his current deal is set to expire in June 2027, although United have the option to extend this for a further season.
Mainoo is said not to be looking for an exit this summer, but is keen to understand Amorim’s plans for him in the coming seasons before committing his long-term future to Old Trafford.
Amorim should take a page from Guardiola’s book on talented midfielders
In the last decade, United have seen many bright young talents explode onto the scene at Old Trafford, only to fizzle out because the club became too reliant on them too early in their careers.
Garnacho is a prime example. The 21-year-old made a fantastic impact as a substitute during his first season under Ten Hag, then went on to string together 38 consecutive appearances toward the end of the following campaign.
Due to the reliance on such a raw player, this led to the winger having incredibly high expectations about his starting position under Amorim, which in turn incurred a fractured relationship that will now see the Argentina international depart permanently this summer.
As for Mainoo, Amorim must look at how Pep Guardiola handled Phil Foden’s rise to prominence on the other side of Manchester during the initial seasons of the England international’s career.
Foden was a standout talent at City from an early age, but the Spanish manager was reluctant to make him an essential player during his late teens and early 20s, instead restricting his minutes and allowing him to grow at his own pace.
Foden continued to shine in his squad role before finally unleashing his very best self during the 2023/24 Premier League season, being crowned the Player of the Season after City’s title-winning campaign at the age of 23.
The parallels here with Mainoo are obvious. Mainoo is a fantastic talent, but at 20 years old, he is still a raw talent who has much to learn.
If Amorim were to handle Mainoo in a similar style to how Guardiola nurtured Foden by protecting him from a significant burden, the young midfielder can be allowed to grow into his potential at a reasonable pace.
Mainoo has age and ability on his side, meaning there is no need to rush him into becoming a starter week in and week out at the club.
United are aiming to win the Premier League title during the 2027/28 season, at which point Mainoo will be a similar age to Foden when the latter won his Player of the Season award. If Amorim can design a plan for Mainoo of a similar ilk, this could go a long way in United developing a future club legend.
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