Ruben Amorim is changing the system at Man Utd and with Casemiro suspended it could be that Kobbie Mainoo is the big winner.
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo is pushing for a first Premier League start of the season at Villa Park
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Is this the moment Kobbie Mainoo has been waiting for? With Casemiro suspended, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo unavailable, and Ruben Amorim experimenting with a three-man midfield, we may get a better indication this weekend of whether Mainoo still has a future at Manchester United under the current head coach.
Amorim has been peppered with questions on Mainoo in recent press conferences and his answers wouldn't have filled the 20-year-old academy graduate with an awful lot of confidence. No doubt Amorim will be asked about the antics of Mainoo's half-brother, Jordan, and his 'Free Kobbie Mainoo' t-shirt on Monday night.
That stunt came on a night that ironically went pretty well for Mainoo. The 29 minutes he got on the pitch was the third-longest of his 11 Premier League substitute appearances this season and with Casemiro picking up a fifth yellow card of the season, there is room in the United midfield.
Mainoo played well in his cameo in a chaotic game and it was interesting that he was the first substitute called for by Amorim, coming on to replace Casemiro as United chased the match, trailing 3-2 at the time of the change. It was the same story when Mainoo replaced Casemiro three minutes earlier against Everton in November, and it doesn't mean the academy graduate will take the Brazilian's role at Villa Park.
That spot is likely to go to Manuel Ugarte. Amorim seems to have lost faith in the Uruguayan, despite their shared history at Sporting, and he played just 40 minutes in the last eight Premier League games, but is the only other natural holding midfielder in the squad.
The real boost for Mainoo might be Amorim's system change. He spent last week drilling his players in a 4-3-3 and used a hybrid of that approach and his 3-4-2-1 against Bournemouth on Monday night.
With Amad and Mbeumo now joining Noussair Mazraoui in leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, that plan might need to change and it could be that Amorim goes with a more traditional 4-3-3 against in-form Aston Villa. That should, in theory, be good news for Mainoo, just as Amorim suggested last week.
"The problem is that we are playing with two [in midfield] and you guys see Kobbie in a different way than I'm seeing," Amorim said ahead of facing Bournemouth. "Maybe if you play with three midfielders, not with just two, but with three, Kobbie will have more minutes."
Now might be the chance for Amorim to deliver on that suggestion. He certainly has some tinkering to do this weekend, with a lack of obvious width in the team now after the departures of Amad and Mbeumo. Mason Mount could be used out wide along with Matheus Cunha, with Benjamin Sesko leading the line.
If Amorim opts for two in midfield, it would be a surprise if it's not Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes; however, if he goes for a third, then Mainoo surely comes into the equation. That is what the academy graduate will be banking on.
Last week, Amorim told Mainoo to knock on his door and tell him if he wanted a loan in January. There is a queue of clubs headed by Napoli keen to give him a home in the second half of the season.
United would only sanction a departure once Amad and Mbeumo return, but in their absence, Mainoo could get more opportunities. If he does and he takes them, then those plans could change. If he remains on the outside looking in, then it will only harden his desire to leave.