Kobbie Mainoo continues to become a bigger spectre looming over Ruben Amorim with every passing game, and the verdict on his behind-the-scenes conduct has now arrived via Andy Mitten.
After using Kobbie Mainoo as an injury-time sub to kill seconds off the clock against Crystal Palace, Ruben Amorim went one better (Read: worse) and snubbed him entirely vs West Ham.
It was unbelievable because Man Utd clearly needed someone who could provide a moment of magic since the system clearly has no attacking patterns.
As Mainoo’s star continues to fall, Andy Mitten has now shared the details of how he is behind the scenes at Carrington, and it’s not a good look for Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim talks to Kobbie Mainoo during the Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, England in 2025.
Photo by PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images
Kobbie Mainoo Man Utd training verdict
Amorim has taken a lot of tough decisions so far at Old Trafford, and he has always had the backing of Man Utd fans, so there’s no “Player power over the manager” narrative here.
Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim?
Kobbie Mainoo and Ruben Amorim split
Credit: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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When Alejandro Garnacho was sent on his way, fans vilified the Argentine and backed Amorim, and the same happened with Marcus Rashford.
Even Tyrell Malacia becoming a part of the “bomb squad” was accepted quietly in the name of a “cultural reset”, when there was no evidence of Malacia ever being a dressing room problem.
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The straw has broken with Mainoo’s exclusion, and Mitten’s training verdict on the player isn’t likely to close the floodgates.
Speaking on The Talk Of The Devils podcast, Mitten said, “My interactions with him, he seems like a level-headed lad. I think he’s continued to train well. He wanted to leave, which shows he’s not happy.
“I don’t get the sense of him being a bad egg in the dressing room like I have had with other players in the past.”
The Athletic’s Carl Anka added the damning final line, “It’s sad that Manchester United is not the best place for a youth player.”
Ruben Amorim can’t justify Mainoo’s treatment
Amorim has been repeatedly asked about his treatment of Mainoo, and he’s repeatedly given the same answer, but holistically, that reasoning is stretching a bit.
THIS was Ruben Amorim and Kobbie Mainoo’s first meeting – November 12, 2024
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He simply says Bruno Fernandes is in his position, but then talks about how Mainoo is better near the box, so he should be a candidate for the No. 10 spot.
Then he says he can’t play with Fernandes, but he plays Casemiro with Manuel Ugarte, despite the Uruguayan being Casemiro’s backup.
He says the team lacked control against West Ham, but brought on a ball-winner (on paper) in Ugarte instead of a ball-carrier like Mainoo.
The fact is that the only way to justify Mainoo’s exclusion would have been to win games, in which case Mainoo would simply become a casualty of his success.
There’s no success to speak of, so whether he likes it or not, he will be asked why he’s not using a player who was a proven difference-maker at the highest level of football in his teenage years.
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