Manchester United are set to face off against Wolves at Molineux, with Kobbie Mainoo the big discussion point.
The past month has neatly demonstrated the Manchester United experience under Ruben Amorim. Lots of hope, and lots of disappointment.
Midfield wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo has barely featured. In matches against Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham, the midfielder has played 32 minutes of a possible 270.
Next up, Mainoo and Manchester United return to the scene of the midfielder’s best moment for the club in the Premier League.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesMainoo won the game away at Wolves in early 2024
In early 2024, Kobbie Mainoo was beginning to really establish himself as a key player in the Manchester United team.
A week earlier he had scored his first Manchester United goal, in a FA Cup win away at Newport County.
Mainoo followed this up by scoring a solo winner to give Manchester United a 4-3 win at Molineux, after the Red Devils had blown a 3-1 lead.
Picking the ball up near the touchline, Mainoo jinked towards the box, beat an opponent, and curled the ball across the goalkeeper and into the far corner.
The stoppage time goal sparked bedlam among the away fans – and capped his stunning rise.
Mainoo had become a true matchwinner for Manchester United for the first time.
Kobbie Mainoo knows how to score a winner at Molineux! Will Ruben Amorim give him a chance?
Can Kobbie Mainoo do it again?
Getty Images
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Manager at the time Erik ten Hag supported the view that Kobbie Mainoo had the world at his feet.
Speaking after the win, Ten Hag said: “He is making incredible progress. He has great abilities, he is the modern midfield player.
“He can defend and attack but also he has the physicality to do both ways. He is also composed.”
Mainoo went on to score the winner in the 2024 FA Cup Final, before starring for England at Euro 2024.
Now ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Mainoo may not even make the squad, because he cannot get into the Manchester United team.
Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim?
Credit: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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Kobbie Mainoo faces uphill battle to face Wolves
Kobbie Mainoo is available for Manchester United against Wolves, however, he is not expected to start the game.
Mainoo has not started a single Premier League game this season, and Ruben Amorim prefers to call on Manuel Ugarte from the bench, despite admitting the Uruguayan is struggling.
Are you confident Man Utd will beat Wolves?
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Looking back at Erik ten Hag’s comments about Mainoo’s continual improvement and development into a top modern midfield player is eye-opening, almost a full two years on.
Mainoo is not being allowed to develop, and if anything, he is going backwards as his confidence has been dented by Ruben Amorim.
The possibility of a January exit for Mainoo has been touted, something that would have seemed unthinkable previously.
But sadly it has an inevitable feeling about it, unless he can take advantage of whatever minutes he gets at Molineux, to try and recapture the magic.
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