Kobbie Mainoo is enjoying his best spell yet this season since Michael Carrick returned to Manchester United to succeed Ruben Amorim as head coach.
After being cast aside by Ruben Amorim since the beginning of the season, Kobbie Mainoo has forced his way back into the team under Michael Carrick.
Mainoo’s resurgence under Carrick won’t come as a surprise to those who questioned Amorim for overlooking the United academy graduate in his midfield.
The 20-year-old has previously scored the winner in an FA Cup final win over Man City, and he starred at Euro 2024, even featuring in the final for England as a teenager.
Is Ruben Amorim not playing Kobbie Mainoo the worst decision you can remember from a recent Man Utd manager?
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Mainoo didn’t start a single Premier League game under Amorim this season, but he has started the last three matches under Carrick.
Slotting in alongside Casemiro, Mainoo has brought a combination of calmness and passing quality to the midfield department.
Carrick is expected to stick with the same midfield against Tottenham in the early kick-off on Saturday afternoon.
Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw clapping the fans
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
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Michael Carrick happy with Kobbie Mainoo’s impact
It wasn’t long ago that a loan move away from United appeared a probable outcome for Mainoo, especially with Amorim giving the youngster just 200 minutes of Premier League football this season.
The narrative has changed completely since Carrick returned to Old Trafford. Now, Mainoo is in contract talks and playing regularly.
This is another example of how quickly things can change in football. Thankfully, this example is for the good of United and Mainoo, as shown by the previous three results in the league.
Carrick was asked about bringing Mainoo back into the line-up before he stressed the importance of helping academy graduates develop in the first team.
“Knowing Kobbie to start with and what he can bring to the team, it was my thoughts to put him into the team,” Carrick told reporters.
“I thought he would give us an awful lot. I think from the club’s point of view, it’s an ideal scenario to bring players through the Academy and have them in the team and have them go through their career at this club, and stay in and around it.
“I was fortunate enough to be with a lot of players who managed to do that. I think it’s important. Obviously, with Munich and the foundation of the football club, everything feeds off that.
“I’m not putting everything on Kobbie’s shoulders; he’s doing terrific at the moment, and I’m sure he’ll continue to be that way. We want more of that. We want more players to come through the system and get into the first team.
“For me, there’s no better feeling than giving young players a chance. He’s taken the chance over recent weeks and, as I said, I’m sure he’ll continue to do that.”
Promoting academy players to the first team is a long tradition that has served the club well throughout its history. These comments will be music to the ears of United fans.
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Kobbie Mainoo during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in 2026 in London, England.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Kobbie Mainoo looking for first win over Tottenham
Since breaking into the United first team, Mainoo has never beaten Tottenham.
The four matches ended in three defeats, which means Mainoo’s only defeat came in the 2025 Europa League final when he came off the bench for one minute.
That means Mainoo is looking for his first win and goal contribution against Tottenham this weekend.
The England international was ruled out of the last meeting with an injury earlier this season.
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