Kobbie Mainoo continued his fine run of form for Man Utd vs Fulham, but a single moment in the game might just have been his loudest retort to Ruben Amorim.
Michael Carrick’s appointment to follow Ruben Amorim has seen Kobbie Mainoo emerge from the shadows and remind the world of his quality.
However, even his staunchest defenders wouldn’t have thought that he would play this brilliantly right away, but Fulham provided a different test.
Who is your Man Of The Match in Manchester United’s 3-2 win vs Fulham?
Casemiro celebrates with his teammates during the Premier League football match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, in 2026.
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His performance against Fulham was again noteworthy, and a single moment in the 14th minute might just have been his loudest response to Amorim as yet.
Raul Jimenez is tackled by Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
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Kobbie Mainoo’s monstrous effort off the ball
Two games against Arsenal and Man City were enough for Mainoo to show everyone that what Amorim thought of him as a player just wasn’t true.
It’s something Carrick has also sent Amorim a message about, but there was the caveat about how the whole team was up for the two marquee games.
Could Mainoo do it against Fulham, who, with their deep block and threat on transitions, provided a different challenge?
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Mainoo performed well throughout, but he made a mockery of that question in the 14th minute when he woke the Old Trafford faithful up with a tackle that would make Roy Keane proud.
As Raul Jimenez saw space in front of him in United’s half, Mainoo bust a gut to get back and launched into a crunching tackle to win the ball.
Jimenez was sent flying into the air with force, and Man Utd fans loved the combative side of a player who was pigeonholed into being a risk-free orchestrator by Ruben Amorim.
Mainoo’s loud response to Ruben Amorim
Mainoo never did anything unprofessional when he was frozen out by Ruben Amorim, but since his sacking, he has played like a man on a mission.
Is Ruben Amorim not playing Kobbie Mainoo the worst decision you can remember from a recent Man Utd manager?
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It’s not a coincidence that he is as fit as he has ever been, and doing more defensive work than ever after Amorim sat him out for those exact reasons.
He retains his quality on the ball and the close control that makes him so good to watch, but he’s increasingly adding brawn to his elite footballing brain.
In almost an ironic way, Amorim is to thank for lighting a fire under Mainoo, but it must be accepted that he was never going to let Mainoo showcase the results of that fire as long as he was in charge.
That crunching tackle might as well have been on Amorim, because it was a tackle whose impact must have been heard back in Portugal.
This was Mainoo’s loudest response yet to him.
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