It’s been another dreary season for Manchester United, but they made a massive statement to the entire footballing world on Sunday by taking advantage of their suddenly sliding rivals Liverpool.
Bryan Mbeumo rocketed Man United off to a hot start within minutes, and the Red Devils did not blow it, scoring again later to nail a 2-1 victory over the defending Premier League champions.
Players like Mbeumo are giving Manchester United hope with displays like this one, but there are still a number of talented footballers at the club waiting for an opportunity – or a ticket out.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim actually addressed the futures of disgruntled defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and striker Joshua Zirkzee, both of them buried on the bench.
Amorim said, via Fabrizio Romano, “Zirkzee and Mainoo are our players. We need everyone to have a good season. Some players are not playing, there’s noise, news… some want to play. Like you said, there’s a World Cup. There are agents that listen to the players talking all the time”.
Obviously, players who have the quality to be somewhere else and are currently not playing are going to think about leaving the club, but Amorim has no interest in selling off either player.
Of coures, Amorim needs to start playing Mainoo, at least. Zirkzee didn’t register a minute against Liverpool, but Mainoo, once again, was merely given a six-minute run-around despite being clearly superior to names like Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, and Mason Mount in the center of midfield.
Manchester United’s manager has no plans of losing either young player, but maybe Mainoo will have other plans if this continues – and Zirkzee feels like surplus at this point.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.