Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has been struggling for game time under Ruben Amorim all season, and Richard Keys has claimed that the real reason for his lack of minutes is due to not being mobile enough.
The England international has spent the majority of the campaign watching on from the bench, and despite United's struggles, Amorim has rarely called on Mainoo. A January departure might be of interest to the young midfielder, especially with the World Cup coming up in the summer of 2026.
Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, and Casemiro have all been preferred options for Amorim this season, with Mainoo's career and development currently stalling.
Richard Keys: Real Reason Amorim Won't Play Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo
Writing in his blog, Keys has suggested that he 'learned at the weekend' that the real reason for Mainoo's struggles with game time at United are due to not being mobile enough, and he's now set to leave the club in the January transfer window.
"I learned at the weekend why Amorim won’t play Mainoo, who sadly will leave United now - probably in January.
Amorim believes he can’t get round the pitch - that Mainoo isn’t mobile enough. I’ve heard some baffling nonsense from this generation of coaches (I give you Wilfried Nancy after Celtic’s defeat to Hearts) and this is right up there. Not mobile enough? So Amorim picks Casemiro instead? If it wasn’t so sad it would be laughable."
It's a bit of a shock and surprise reason for Amorim not to play Mainoo, considering he's a hard-working, fit young player. Casemiro and Ugarte have played more regularly than Mainoo, and they are certainly not more mobile than him.
Mainoo Needs to Leave for His Own Good
Kobbie Mainoo
If Amorim is going to continue ignoring Mainoo, then it's time for him to leave the club. It's a huge shame considering he's an academy graduate, but his career is stalling now, and 2026 is an important year with the World Cup approaching.
Amorim and United will undoubtedly want to keep Mainoo at Old Trafford as a backup option, but he has to be selfish and try and engineer a departure. If it's true that the real reason for his lack of minutes is due to Amorin not thinking he's mobile enough for his midfield, then it's a ridiculous situation for Mainoo to keep himself in, and he's been treated incredibly unfairly under the Portuguese manager ever since he arrived through the door.