There was no big season finale and a fairytale ending to a nightmare season for Manchester United and Ruben Amorim as they lost in the Europa League final.
Man Utd lost 1-0 to Spurs on the day and it summed up their campaign as a whole, which was toothless, devoid of quality, and lots of trying with zero output.
Ruben Amorim now faces a summer of extreme scrutiny and the next season with even more scrutiny, if that is at all possible.
The biggest uncomfortable question staring him in the face is a player who cost the club zero but has gone completely backward under him.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim needs to answer Kobbie Mainoo question
Around this time last year, Kobbie Mainoo was at the top of the world, scoring in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, called up for England for the Euros where he starred again.
This year, he didn’t just get dropped for the Europa League final, but he was reduced to a last-minute gamble in injury time as the whole team had lost its shape.
For a manager who is about to lead a huge rebuild of the club in the summer, Mainoo’s fate stares him in the face, asking questions about his ability to improve players.
He did that to great effect at Sporting but the proof is in the pudding at Old Trafford so far, with the whole narrative trending towards the squad needing to be changed.
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The squad is clearly not good enough and changes will come, but is it bad enough to finish 16th in the league and drop a final like that?
Mainoo has gone backwards under Amorim, struggling to find a role in a system Amorim won’t ever change, something he was praised for initially but will be increasingly difficult to defend if the results don’t improve next season.
Amorim’s fate will be tied to Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo is the poster boy of Man Utd, coming through the academy, costing zero, always professional and enjoying a meteoric rise.
If Amorim’s system depends upon selling a player like that who has no red flags about his character and personality, then the system needs to be scrutinised.
Good managers find ways to unlock the talents of their best players, something that can no longer be said with certainty about Amorim.
His fate next season will be tied to Mainoo’s performances in a way. If he keeps regressing, being reduced to a haphazard gamble to overload up front late in games, it would be a damning indictment on Amorim’s management.