Kobbie Mainoo is yet to start a single Premier League match this season under Ruben Amorim.
The Carrington graduate’s lack of game time has been a hot topic in 2025/26. Even Ruben Amorim admits Kobbie Mainoo deserves to start, yet the 20-year-old has only played 183 minutes in the Premier League.
Reports in Italy claim that Napoli are close to signing Mainoo ahead of the January transfer window, and it would not be a surprise if he pushed to leave and pursue game time elsewhere.
Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim?
Kobbie Mainoo and Ruben Amorim split
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United fans roared for Mainoo when he came on as a substitute in the 4-1 win over Wolves, and that tells you everything you need to know about how the fanbase feels.
But ultimately, it is Amorim’s choice whether or not to start Mainoo, and it seems he wants to see some improvements first.
Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim talks to Manchester United's English midfielder #37 Kobbie Mainoo during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on October 19, 2025
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Where Kobbie Mainoo must improve at Man United
The noise from inside Carrington is that Mainoo is working extremely hard behind the scenes to try and fight his way back into the starting line-up.
But according to Ben Jacobs, via The United Stand, Amorim wants to see Mainoo improve out of possession.
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“Yeah I think the footballing intelligence of Mainoo is the area in which Amorim wants him to work,” Jacobs said.
Ruben Amorim admitted coaches can be wrong about a player when discussing Kobbie Mainoo
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Amorim/Mainoo/Vitinha
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“Specifically what he does, I’m told anyway, off the ball rather than on the ball. What we know about Kobbie Mainoo is that he’s technical, he has strong composure, when he has the ball at his feet he’s intelligent.
“Amorim wants someone who is more physical and can go into ‘beast mode’ which is what we see from Elliot Anderson.
“One area that is being worked on with Mainoo, who is very precise with the ball is how he gets the same precision of thought and movement off it.”
Kobbie Mainoo deserves a start to prove himself
Mainoo impressed against Wolves despite coming on for a brief cameo towards the end of the match.
According to Amorim, Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes for the advanced central midfield role, and the Portuguese playmaker is hard to beat.
But Mainoo has proven that he can play alongside Fernandes and take the role that Casemiro usually plays in the double pivot.
READ MORE: Kobbie Mainoo must learn trait that made Ruben Amorim’s Sporting the top 1% in the world
Amorim wants to see off-the-ball improvements, and he has previously spoken about wanting to see more intensity in Mainoo’s game.
Before the January window opens up and offers come flying in for the young midfielder, Mainoo deserves a string of games to prove to Amorim that he has improved.
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