Ruben Amorim is no fool, and his post-match press conferences hinted that he knows his head is approaching the chopping block. He has attempted to breathe a fresh lease of life into Manchester United, but a second round exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Grimsby Town is a new low for his tenure, and the club generally.
Although there’s been a few hints that Amorim could resign, the ex-Sporting boss may look to give the Red Devils job one last hurrah – and he must tread carefully in the meantime if he opts to go down this route.
As such, Amorim needs to swallow his pride and find a spot in his line-up for Kobbie Mainoo, which is a simpler task than he is making out. The midfielder is weighing up a move away from his boyhood club in a deal which could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Portuguese manager among supporters.
A fundamental part of United’s success over the years has been bringing academy graduates through the ranks and allowing them to develop into key players at the club. This isn’t just Class of 92 talk either, for years there has been someone putting Carrington on the map in the first team.
With Marcus Rashford no longer flying that flag, now is Mainoo’s time. Therefore, allowing the England international to leave the club would simply be Amorim giving supporters another stick to beat him with.
Mainoo has proven himself on the biggest of stages of all and would slot into the starting XI of top clubs around Europe, and even strengthen some of the Premier League’s title contenders. And with that in mind, Amorim must consider just how detrimental allowing the 20-year-old to depart could be – not just for United’s sake, but his own reputation in the long-term if Mainoo goes on to fulfil his potential elsewhere following a cut-price exit under his management.
There is no doubt that the playmaker is a tricky profile to squeeze into his 3-4-3 system, and Amorim has made it clear that a change in formation is not in the offing and he would rather die on his sword than tinker his tactics. It’s clear that, at present, Mainoo is not cut out to be a box-to-box No. 8, nor is he the creative talent to play as a wide No. 10. But Amorim can't keep treating the situation like it's a Bruno Fernandes or Mainoo situation in his side, where there's a simple fix to get them both into the same XI.
Instead of showing Mainoo the Old Trafford exit, Amorim should be banging on Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s door and urging the owner to bring in a high-quality defensive-minded midfielder to play alongside him before the transfer window shuts. In an obvious piece of recruitment, signing a No. 6 who can shoulder the defensive weight in midfield would allow Mainoo to slot into that pivot and dictate play from deeper areas, as he would at any other club. It wouldn’t just benefit the youngster either though, as it would ensure that Fernandes does not continue to be shoehorned into the deeper midfield role like he is at present, which has seen his attacking output plummet as a result.
Ratcliffe also has to consider the implications of selling the midfielder, especially if, within a matter of weeks, a new manager could be sat in the Theatre of Dreams dugout. There is every chance that Mainoo could outlast Amorim within the next few months, and a quick ‘pure profit’ sale may not be worthwhile when looking at the bigger picture – especially when it comes to a player who once had the world at his feet and is adored by the United faithful.