Bruno Fernandes has been speaking about his and Kobbie Mainoo’s role at Manchester United as reports continue to emerge surrounding the youngster’s future.
Kobbie Mainoo came through the academy at Manchester United and made an immediate impact when he arrived in the first-team under Erik ten Hag in 2023/24.
The midfielder started almost every game for the club that season after his full debut against Everton in the Premier League, including in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, where he scored the winning goal.
But now under Ruben Amorim, the 20-year-old is struggling for minutes on the pitch and has still not started a single game in the league this season.
His half-brother made headlines earlier this week when he wore a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ shirt in the crowd at Old Trafford during United’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.
What Fernandes said about Mainoo’s role
United currently only play with two midfielders in Amorim’s system and they are usually Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Mainoo has been told by Amorim that he is competing with captain Fernandes for a place in the team.
The Portuguese midfielder never gets injured and remains the club’s most important player, which suggests that game-time will not improve for Mainoo anytime soon.
Fernandes spoke to Rio Ferdinand on his podcast earlier this week and discussed the role that is expected of him and Mainoo in the midfield, with Amorim placing great importance on the ability to get around the pitch.
“The manager always plays a six and an eight,” explained Fernandes. “The six is usually Casemiro and Manu [Ugarte] and the eights are me and Kobbie.
“From me and Kobbie, he [Amorim] demands more staying in position, pressing the six and coming back or pressing a little bit high and coming back, you need to be able to cover more ground.”
This relates to previous reports which claimed that the main reason Amorim does not trust Mainoo to start is that he is not athletic enough to cover the spaces required.
Mainoo at ‘breaking point’ over United future
Mainoo is not the type of midfielder who suits a role where he must cover large distances out of possession. He wants the ball at his feet while he can also defend smaller spaces well. He suits a midfield three.
That is something Amorim has reportedly been considering, with the United boss looking for solutions while the likes of Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are at AFCON.
Mainoo could get more game-time in that scenario but the latest reports from MailSport suggest that he is already too frustrated with his position.
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The report claims that Mainoo’s relationship with the club is at ‘breaking point’ and that the academy graduate no longer sees a future for himself at Old Trafford while Amorim remains in charge.
Napoli are still interested in the United star and could make a move for him in January, and it remains to be seen how United will respond to offers for the player.
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