Manchester United fans should have been paying closer attention to what Kobbie Mainoo was up to when he reported for pre-season training under Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim’s men will return to action for the first time in July after the end of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign and the post-season tour of Asia in May.
Some first-team Manchester United players reported at Carrington on Monday for the start of pre-season training ahead of their tour of Europe and the United States.
United have confirmed that more players will trickle into training over the course of the week, but Kobbie Mainoo was part of Monday’s 15-man cohort of players.
Mainoo’s season at Old Trafford was disrupted due to injuries and the 20-year-old Stockport-born player’s first-team minutes at United were limited as a result.
The United midfielder made 37 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions in the 2024-25 campaign and he netted twice and registered an assist.
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Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo arrives for pre-season training at Carrington in 2025 in Manchester.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United
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What Man Utd revealed that Kobbie Mainoo was doing during his first day back at the Carrington training complex
Kobbie Mainoo enjoyed his breakout Manchester United season under Erik ten Hag and had been a key midfield influence for the former Ajax manager.
However, Erik ten Hag was sacked as United manager last October and the Dutchman’s exit from Old Trafford paved the way for Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
Mainoo’s influence has been retained by United manager Amorim, but it remains to be seen where his main role will be in the Portuguese’s tactical system next season.
Amorim hasn’t been afraid to experiment with Mainoo during the 2024-25 season, including playing the midfielder as a false nine or as one of the two No 10s.
Mainoo’s future at United is also up in the air and the Red Devils talent’s current contract with the Premier League club is set to expire in 2027.
United on social media shared photos of different players at the Carrington training complex and Mainoo was spotted doing an upper-body exercise in training.
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Why Kobbie Mainoo’s training exercise is so important for the Man Utd and England star ahead of the 2025-26 campaign
Mainoo could be seen with his hands on a metal bar and the England star was being assisted by a United employee at Carrington amid the exercise that he was doing.
The Three Lions international needs to build on his strength to match the Premier League’s physicality and if he wants to play in the central role in Amorim’s system.
The Athletic only reported back in January that a major part of the player that Mainoo could become would come down partly to his ‘physical development.’
The publication added that physicality, running power and height have ‘all seen a noticeable increase in prominence’ in the recent era of the Premier League.
Mainoo is only 20 years old and has time on his side, but the United ace’s physicality is an area of improvement that can only make him more of a ‘complete’ midfielder.