Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo found himself on the peripheries during a difficult few months under former manager Ruben Amorim
Kobbie Mainoo was considering leaving Man Utd after being ostracised by Ruben Amorim
Kobbie Mainoo was considering leaving Man Utd after being ostracised by Ruben Amorim(Image: Paul Currie/Shutterstock)
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Diogo Dalot has told Kobbie Mainoo that getting frozen out at Manchester United will make him a better and stronger footballer. Mainoo came close to leaving United to join Napoli on-loan in last month's transfer window.
The England midfielder had become fed up with how former boss Ruben Amorim had treated him. Amorim refused to pick Mainoo for months on end, and left him stuck on the sidelines considering his future.
But the sacking of Amorim in January resulted in a new lease of life for Mainoo at Old Trafford. And Dalot, appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, believes the experience will do him good in the one run.
Dalot said: "That just shows that in football, no matter the manager that you have, you have to work the same way.
"For Kobbie, he could have gone the other way. Because it’s really hard for you, when you're 20 years old, you played almost 80 games for the Manchester United first team, you played for England’s national team.
"You've been there at the top, and all of a sudden you don't play. How can you explain to a 20-year-old guy that you need to go back to what you did before - train hard, be humble, just wait for your opportunity?
"I don't think that's bad for him to pass through this experience. You might say he should have played a little bit more, or not, that might be your opinion, or not.
Diogo Dalot is confident Mainoo will become a better player after his experience
Diogo Dalot is confident Mainoo will become a better player after his experience
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"But for him to go through that experience, I think it will benefit him for the future. "And I think he feels that now, because he enjoys (football) more now. He will not take for granted playing week in, week out.
"If you ask me about that situation, I think you will benefit a lot from going through that in his career."
While Mainoo was out of the team under Amorim, Dalot remained a constant presence - despite often bearing the brunt of criticism from supporters. And the full back has admitted that it has become increasingly tough to drown out the negative noise.
He added: "I think it became a little bit more difficult because of, obviously, what is happening online nowadays. Everybody can say whatever they want.
"And unless you live in a cave, you’re going to be aware of what is being said or what is happening. But to be honest, because my football career, professional career, was all the time here, so I had to learn how to balance that. I had to deal with it."
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