Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes has kept two different players out of the starting team this season.
Fernandes is viewed as undroppable.(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Kobbie Mainoo covered more ground than any other Manchester United player in the club's last two games. The midfielder left nothing out there, putting himself about like a player with a point to prove.
Mainoo's stock took a hit during Ruben Amorim's tenure, but strong performances against Manchester City and Arsenal were reminders of the wonderfully talented player United have on their hands.
"I think part of a career is a few ups and downs and sometimes it goes in different trajectories, but I think we've seen last week what Kobbie can bring. It was great," said Carrick before Arsenal.
Mainoo is posting United-related photos on his social media again. There had been a nine-month Instagram hiatus, but he's been brought back into the fold by Carrick, who has known him since he was a boy.
The 20-year-old was disenchanted with life under Amorim, and he was set to push to leave on loan in the January window until the Portuguese was axed amid rising tensions with the board.
It was criminal that Amorim could not find a way to fit Mainoo into his system. Amorim overlooked Mainoo in his first game against Ipswich, which set the tone. He experimented with Mainoo as a No.10 and up front. There were jokes within the squad about him playing as a striker.
Amorim eventually settled on his role, deciding he would compete with Bruno Fernandes for a starting spot in midfield. "He is fighting for the position now with Bruno. I changed two midfielders. I like Mason Mount there because we want to score a goal," said Amorim in August.
"And then when I changed it, I felt that the team needed to return to one holding midfielder. So he just needs to fight for the position with Bruno in training. Like it should be at Manchester United."
Mainoo was fighting a losing battle from that moment onwards, but he remained committed to winning his place back, doing extra work during the international breaks and changing his chef at home.
Mainoo took another step forward against Arsenal.(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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Mainoo's frustration began to show by the end of Amorim's tenure, though. He liked a few ill-timed posts on social media about Amorim, and his half-brother paraded a 'Free Kobbie Mainoo' t-shirt at Old Trafford. United insisted that Mainoo knew nothing about the stunt from his sibling.
The frustration was understandable, given he'd gone from starting at Euro 2024 to not getting a sniff of a league start, but Mainoo had little chance when his manager pitted him against Fernandes.
Fernandes has been an ever-present in the starting team since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon. He'd only ever missed two United games due to injury until his recent hamstring issue.
Amorim essentially said Mainoo would never start in the Premier League when he confirmed he was competing with Fernandes. The United captain is undroppable and kept Mainoo out of the team.
Mainoo was the biggest winner from Amorim's sacking, but his departure was bound to be a negative for some others, like Mason Mount, whose relationship with Amorim was strong.
Mount benefited from Amorim's formation, and United were a better team when he was in the starting line-up in the first half of the campaign. Mount delivered consistently strong performances, scoring important goals against Sunderland and Crystal Palace to finally have momentum behind him.
"He can defend, he can attack. It's the quality that when he touches the ball, it's really good. So it's not a surprise for me, but of course, we need to take care of him," said Amorim last month.
Writing on social media when Amorim's sacking was announced, Mount said: "Thank you, gaffer. All the best to you and your staff for the future." Unsurprisingly, there was no farewell message from Mainoo.
Mount and Fernandes embrace at Selhurst Park.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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Carrick has switched to 4-2-3-1 and Mainoo has slotted perfectly back into a three-man midfield, but the tactical switch now means Mount is competing with Fernandes to start as the central attacking midfielder.
Mount was introduced in injury time in the Manchester derby and was an unused substitute against Arsenal. It's too early to say he won't be used as much by Carrick, but he only needs to look at Mainoo's situation from earlier in the season to know what happens when Fernandes is the competition to start.
The silver lining for Mount is that he was in a similar position in the summer when Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo were signed, setting them up as the first-choice players in Amorim's No.10 roles.
Speaking in pre-season, Mount reflected: "Any opportunity you get, you've got to try and take it. And, yeah, I mean, I'll always back myself. I know what I can do. But we're a team and we're all working together in that.
"Obviously, with the new signings coming in, they (Cunha and Mbeumo) are going to elevate us to another level, and we all need to be at that level to really perform."
Mount backed himself and successfully found a way to force himself into the side. That may be more difficult to do against Fernandes, but he's already shown the required talent and mentality to do so. It will also help that Mount could feature on the flanks in the 4-2-3-1. It would be stupid to write him off.