Ruben Amorim has been accused of overlooking Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo due to a ‘personal’ issue.
Mainoo has not started any of United’s first seven Premier League games in a clear sign that he has fallen down the pecking order under Amorim.
The 20-year-old has managed only a meagre 120 minutes of playing time off the bench in the league, while his only start came in the shock Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.
It marks a stark reversal of Mainoo’s fortunes from when he broke into the Red Devils’ side under Erik ten Hag, a rise which ultimately culminated in him starting for England in the Euro 2024 final.
However, Mainoo now looks a long way from regular United minutes, let alone a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s squad, with Amorim suggesting he is in direct competition with Bruno Fernandes for one of the two midfield roles.
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In search of regular minutes, Mainoo sought to engineer a loan move away from Old Trafford in the summer window, but the Red Devils refused to sanction a move.
Former United defender Paul Parker remains baffled by Mainoo’s continued absence from the starting lineup, and suggested that Amorim must have a ‘personal’ issue with the midfielder.
‘We have to ask why Mainoo hasn’t been used in that midfield,’ Parker said, speaking to MyBettingSites.co.uk.
‘Somewhere along the line because I’ve been looking at it, it has to be personal. It has to be personal and the truth has to be told somewhere.
‘He doesn’t like him or he doesn’t like him as a player. It doesn’t make any sense at all.’
Amorin on Mainoo’s lack of game time
Asked about the midfielder’s lack of minutes, Amorim recently said: ‘Like a lot of guys, he wants to play more.
‘I believe a lot in Kobbie but some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done. I think he can do so much better. He can improve in a lot.
‘And sometimes I think for some guys it’s [the level he’s playing at now] enough. For him, it’s not enough. Maybe it’s not fair but I think I’m helping Kobbie Mainoo and that’s it.
‘He will have opportunities like the other guys. If I feel during the week that he’s the best player to play, he’s going to play and I proved that already to every player here.
‘I believe a lot in him. I have the same thing [opinion] that you have and that is a top, top player, but he can be so much better, so I’m focused on that.’
‘You don’t have to fall into the trap of playing a local boy because he’s a local boy. But sometimes when you look at the quality of the player, he went to the Euros and played more football than he or fans expected and he did very well.
‘There’s a talent there that’s not being utilised. It just doesn’t make sense.
‘Don’t call every player elite but Mainoo is a very good player who can play in any position across the Man Utd midfield.
‘He’s a good runner, get him in and around the box. You ask him to sit in midfield and hold, he can do the job and fill space and stop passes from going through.
‘If you ask him to bite, kick and scratch, that’s not really him. Football’s not like that anymore cause if it was Mainoo would have struggled a bit. In today’s game, he’s perfect.’
The latest reports suggest that Napoli could reignite their loan interest in Mainoo when the transfer window reopens in January.
And Parker believes that a fresh start abroad, and away from the spotlight, could provide the environment to get Mainoo back to his very best.
‘You’ve got to understand, when you’re younger, losing form can happen quite quickly but it’s about getting it back,’ he added.
‘When you make mistakes, you nurture, you don’t stamp down on things, you demand but you demand in a different way. He hasn’t been given what a good manager like Sir Alex Ferguson would do with a young player.
‘Maybe they should’ve let him go out on loan and play. Go overseas and experience that little bit to come back again and start again. Especially in this current scenario where you’re not going to use him, let him go and do that.’
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