Kobbie Mainoo was again left out of the starting line-up against Bournemouth as he continues to struggle for regular game time under Amorim, though his introduction off the bench was met with a thunderous reception from Old Trafford. Supporters still see him as a symbol of hope, but doubts about his future are growing behind the scenes. However, Souness was unsparing in his critique, arguing that Mainoo has never been properly coached for the demands of central midfield, particularly without the ball.
"I'm not a fan [of Kobbie Mainoo]," he said bluntly. "If you look at [Adam] Wharton, there's no comparison. Wharton understands that position. He understands when you haven't got the ball what you have to do. Whereas Mainoo is a complete off-the-cuff player. Better on the ball, possibly, than Wharton. He's got a trick and a cute pass, and he looks like he's got the technique, but he doesn't understand that central midfield position. If Paul Scholes were to have played against Mainoo, he would've had him on toast because he would never be where he should have been when Man United are out of possession. It looks like he's never been coached to play as a central midfield player when you don't have the ball. That's what he looks like to me."
As if inconsistency were not enough, United now face a testing period without several key players. Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui have all departed for Africa Cup of Nations duty. Should their countries progress deep into the tournament, they could miss a daunting run of fixtures, including league clashes with Aston Villa, Newcastle, Wolves, Leeds, Burnley and Manchester City, as well as an FA Cup third-round tie with Brighton.