Manchester United surrendered a lead to draw with Fulham on Sunday and Kobbie Mainoo remained on the bench despite their search for a late winner.
Ross joined the MEN in August 2021. He was appointed Sport Content Editor in February 2022.
Mainoo and his teammates during pre-season
Manchester United regularly turned to Harry Maguire in their hour of need last season.
Of the centre-back’s four goals in 2024/25, three came beyond the 90-minute mark. The other proved to be the matchwinner in a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town.
His 87th-minute introduction on Sunday will no doubt have been done with players’ workloads in mind, but there’s no doubt his threat in the opposition box will also have played a part in Ruben Amorim’s thinking. And it very nearly worked, with Maguire heading narrowly wide in the closing stages.
The Maguire change nearly won United the game, but United might not have been in the position of needing to search for a late winner had it not been for some of the earlier alterations made by Amroim.
The United boss lamented his side’s mindset in “just thinking about maintaining the advantage” having gone a goal ahead, claiming they forgot to “push the opponent”. Yet it was he who brought on a holding midfielder in the shape of Manuel Ugarte just minutes before Fulham drew level, replacing the ever-energetic Mason Mount.
Diogo Dalot replaced Amad early in the second half, and he allowed Alex Iwobi far too much space to pick out a cross for Emile Smith Rowe to level the scores.
There is plenty to be analysed in the substitutions Amorim made, yet the United boss found himself discussing a substitution he didn’t make at his post-match press conference.
Kobbie Mainoo has played as a No.10 and even a false nine during Amorim’s time at Old Trafford. Fans have been crying out for Amorim to settle on a position for Mainoo, and the manager’s post-match comments suggest he has done just that.
“He’s fighting for the position now with Bruno,” Amorim said. “And I change two midfielders. I let Mason Mount [play] there because we want to score a goal and when I changed I felt the team need to return to one holding midfielder near Bruno.
“So he (Mainoo) just needs to fight for the position with Bruno, as [it] should be at Manchester United. [Sometimes] he’s going to play with Bruno, but at the moment he’s fighting in training with Bruno for the position.”
Mainoo’s talents are undeniable, it’s simply a case of Amorim finding the best way to use him in his system. But if Mainoo is in a battle with captain and talisman Bruno Fernandes for a spot in the team, it really doesn’t look good for the academy graduate.
Fernandes’ future has been under the microscope again of late amid more speculation surrounding a move to the Saudi Pro League. However, club sources are baffled by the speculation and still expect Fernandes to stay at United.
Barring any late drama, Fernandes is set to stay at Old Trafford, and that is certainly good news for United.
Where that leaves Mainoo is another matter.