The 20-year-old returned to the starting line-up in United\u2019s 2-1 defeat to Brighton<\/a> in the FA Cup<\/a> on Sunday, with his previous start coming in the embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town<\/a>.<\/p>\n What are your expectations for Kobbie Mainoo now Ruben Amorim has been fired? <\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say <\/p>\n It was Darren Fletcher<\/a> who decided to bring Mainoo back into the team, initially bringing him off the bench in United\u2019s 2-2 draw against Burnley<\/a> at Turf Moor.<\/p>\n Following Mainoo\u2019s 62-minute display, it remains to be seen if he will make back-to-back starts when United host Man City in the Manchester derby on Sunday.<\/p>\n Mainoo didn\u2019t pull up any trees with his performance against Brighton, but it was a boost for the young midfielder to get his first start in the team since August.<\/p>\n It has been a challenging season for Mainoo, often overlooked by Amorim and losing his place in the England squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He has until the end of the season to persuade Thomas Tuchel<\/a> to change his mind.<\/p>\n Former United defender Phil Jones<\/a> has now offered his analysis of Mainoo\u2019s latest display, accepting that it wasn\u2019t \u2018brilliant\u2019 but still offered something different in the middle of the pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cI think what I would say yesterday, I know Kobbie wasn\u2019t brilliant, but you have to understand that his minutes have been incredibly limited this season,\u201d Jones told Sports Illustrated FC<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cSo for him to come in a game like that and just turn it on in the blink of an eye, it\u2019s not going to happen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t work like that. Football doesn\u2019t work like that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I thought what he did was which people might not understand and not see when they\u2019re just watching the game that even in build-up at times, the way he offered himself and the way we beat the press because of his positioning, because he was just capable of taking the ball under pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if there\u2019s a man behind him, capable of just popping it to the side where we could get out and first touch took him out the game.<\/p>\n \u201cI did see that in him. I did see a different side to us when we were building up at times yesterday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe does offer that Kobbie. But again, I just think what they\u2019re missing is that Kante type of player who can just cover ground who, yes, he\u2019s good with the ball, but he covers ground well.<\/p>\n \u201cHe gives you that balance out of possession, and at the minute they just you just don\u2019t quite have that.\u201d<\/p>\n What did you think of Kobbie Mainoo\u2019s performance vs Brighton? <\/p>\n Did he do enough to earn a starting place vs City next weekend?<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say <\/p>\n With Michael Carrick set to come in as interim manager<\/a>, Mainoo will be hoping to reclaim his key role in the team that he enjoyed under Erik ten Hag<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kobbie Mainoo record in the Manchester derby<\/p>\n Mainoo has played in five Manchester derbies since graduating from United\u2019s academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Kobbie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2230099226-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Ash Donelon\/Manchester United via Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2199157824-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo\/Getty ImagesPhil Jones\u2019 analysis of Kobbie Mainoo\u2019s display against Brighton<\/p>\n![\"Kobbie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/UIF-2026-01-11T175438.847-819x1024.png\")
Getty Images <\/p>\n