Paul Scholes has backed one of Manchester United’s young talents, saying that he ‘should be playing’, after being benched in the defeat to Manchester City.
Manchester United’s turbulent start to the new season took another difficult turn on Sunday as Ruben Amorim’s side suffered a 3-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City.
The Reds looked to win back-to-back Premier League games for the first time under Amorim’s reign, but were met by a Phil Foden header and an Erling Haaland brace.
Having also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup only a matter of weeks ago, there isn’t much to celebrate at Old Trafford at the moment, and many pundits are wondering if Amorim is the right man for the job.
One of the biggest concerns about the Portuguese manager’s system is the fact that it doesn’t currently hold room for Kobbie Mainoo, forcing the youngster to sit on the bench.
Scholes advocates for Mainoo start
Paul Scholes spoke on this and claims that Mainoo has a serious case to start the next fixture at home to Chelsea on Saturday night.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, the former United midfielder said, “He was actually quite good when he came on.
“He’s been questioned about legs, but it’s not always about legs. He’s got a brain to play that position. Monday morning [Mainoo] should be knocking on the door saying, ‘I should be playing’.”
Mainoo has been on the bench for all four fixtures in the league so far, much to the disapproval of many fans and pundits, who understand the talents that the youngster possesses.
Mainoo to start vs Chelsea?
The fixture against Chelsea on Saturday night already looks to be one of mass importance, with the Reds desperate for a statement result to kickstart their campaign.
Amorim seems certain that he won’t stray away from his 3-4-2-1 system, which means that Mainoo is likely to remain on the bench as captain Bruno Fernandes will start ahead of him.
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As Chelsea have a tough midweek fixture in Germany, taking on Bayern Munich in the Champions League, United should be looking to capitalise on any signs of fatigue or squad rotation.
With many tough fixtures on the horizon for Amorim’s side, it will be intriguing to see what changes, if any, he makes to his side and whether they get the results they need to turn their slow start around.
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