Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is continuing to double down on his Kobbie Mainoo omission.
Ruben Amorim has repeatedly made clear that he does not view Kobbie Mainoo as an essential player in his Manchester United team.
Amorim has done this via his actions, where he has not selected Mainoo to start a single Premier League game in 2025/26 so far.
And he has also made his stance clear via his words, repeatedly explaining that he does not view Mainoo as an essential fit for his preferred style of play.
Amid criticism from former United stars Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, Amorim has once again been asked about the midfielder.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty ImagesRuben Amorim latest on Kobbie Mainoo
Re-explaining his stance on Kobbie Mainoo, Ruben Amorim reiterated that he has no space for the midfielder in his system.
Amorim told club media: “The problem is that we are playing with two and you guys see Kobbie in a different way that I’m seeing.
“Sometimes maybe if I play with three midfielders, not with just two, but with the three, Kobbie will have more minutes and imagine if that is [to] happen. Someone in front is going to lose their spots.”
Amorim views other players in the team as better suited to his two midfield spots, and with no European games to rotate, there are limited minutes.
Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim?
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Amorim’s academy dig
The lack of minutes given to Mainoo is not an exception. Ruben Amorim does not have a regular Manchester United academy player in his starting XI.
Amorim pointed back to players that he did call up last season, Toby Collyer, Harry Amass and Chido Obi.
He took a dig at their current situations, two are out on loan, suggesting that he does not see a sign any would be able to improve the current team.
“Toby went to West Bromwich and he’s not playing. He played for Manchester United. So sometimes it’s not because he’s from the academy or whatever.
“Amass is now struggling in the Championship. Chido is not always a starter in the Under-21s. All these guys played when a lot of people were saying sack the manager.”
Ruben Amorim believes Harry Amass and Chido Obi would not make an impact in the Man Utd first team 🤔
What do you think of Amorim’s comments? Is he making a good point, or is he losing it?
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It is unfair of Ruben Amorim to bring up the other academy players to try and prove a point.
And even taking that aside, his comments actually come across as very misinformed.
Toby Collyer signed on loan for a settled West Brom team late in the transfer window. And just as he forced his way into the team, he suffered an injury and is currently sidelined.
Harry Amass has been winning rave reviews for his performances at Sheffield Wednesday, with United said to be fielding numerous enquiries from Premier League clubs for his services.
The only reason Amass could be described as struggling is because his team are one of the worst in the Championship – due to transfer embargos and mismanagement over the past few years.
Chido Obi has been rotated at under-21 level, and that’s largely because United have another talented young striker, Gabriele Biancheri, who also needs minutes.
Both strikers have scored five goals each this season for the under-21s.
Amorim previously stated that he gave Obi his debut too soon, and he has not named him on the bench once this season.
Does Ruben Amorim need to improve his use of the academy?⭐️
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Amorim’s comments come across as disrespectful and dismissive towards the academy players, and too self-concerned about his own situation.
Even if he is making a general point about the players’ situations rather than their performances – it feels uncalled for.
And while he’s correct that Manchester United need to win games first and that must be a priority, there is also the big picture of identity.
And so much of United’s identity through the decades has been built on academy foundations. Strip that away, and it begins to feel soulless.
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