Along with the likes of Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee, Kobbie Mainoo was an unused substitute in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Fulham.
In the middle of the park, Ruben Amorim opted for Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who also started as a duo against Arsenal.
And although Casemiro was taken off in the second half when Man United were being slightly overwhelmed by Fulham, Kobbie Mainoo remained on the bench.
Instead, Amorim opted to move Mason Mount back into a holding role, before eventually replacing the Englishman with Manuel Ugarte.
But despite all these changes, 20-year-old Mainoo just watched on from the bench, a superb talent going to waste.
Rio Ferdinand thinks Kobbie Mainoo needs a Man United team tailored to him
That being said, former United defender Rio Ferdinand made an interesting claim about Mainoo after full-time.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand shared his belief that Mainoo was a system player, explaining that he needed a team somewhat built for him in order to thrive.
Kobbie Mainoo arrives for Manchester United's match.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Ferdinand also pointed out that Phil Foden was similar at Manchester City.
And perhaps that explains why Mainoo wasn’t used against Fulham, on the assumption that Amorim might see it the same way.
Sharing his theory, Ferdinand said: “I think he’s the type of player, I think he’s got the talent to build around, but you’ve got to have the team functioning and playing in a particular way.
“I had a debate – there are some players who need the system to be able to perform. There’s some great players we’ve got in this country right now, I’ll go through a few of them, I think Kobbie Mainoo needs a system to play in.
“I think Phil Foden needs a system to play in, I think for them to play to their optimum best.
“Cole Palmer can go anywhere I think and go and play and be Cole Palmer – there’s certain players who are just going to do what they do.”
Bruno Fernandes is keeping Kobbie Mainoo out of Ruben Amorim’s team
As an alternative to Ferdinand’s theory, it might just be considered that Mainoo is currently Amorim’s Fernandes alternative.
Mainoo isn’t particularly well-suited to playing as the number six alongside Fernandes, that’s a role for either Casemiro or Ugarte at present.
And given that Fernandes is such a key part of United’s eleven at all times, that explains why Mainoo is already finding opportunities hard to come by this season.
If Fernandes is playing as one of the number tens, perhaps Mainoo will get his chance to slot into midfield.
But perhaps that perfectly explains why Benjamin Sesko’s arrival is bad news for Mainoo at Old Trafford.
And on that note, Ferdinand gave his thoughts on Sesko’s minutes against Fulham as well.