Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo was used sparingly by Ruben Amorim during his time at Old Trafford
Kobbie Mainoo was not a starter for Ruben Amorim during the Portuguese head coach's tenure at Old Trafford
Kobbie Mainoo was not a starter for Ruben Amorim during the Portuguese head coach's tenure at Old Trafford(Image: Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Kobbie Mainoo says he learnt how to be patient during a difficult period not playing for Manchester United under Ruben Amorim. Mainoo was handed his first opportunity with the senior team by Erik ten Hag and became an integral member of the squad, scoring one of the goals as United beat Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final.
However, when Ten Hag was sacked and replaced by Amorim, Mainoo's opportunities became limited. The United academy product made 40 appearances for Amorim but most were off the bench. In the first half of last season, Mainoo did not complete a single 90 minutes in the Premier League.
In August 2025, sensing chances would be rare, Mainoo requested a loan move away from Old Trafford. United refused this request as they continued to see him as a key member of the squad. Just before Christmas, Mainoo picked up a calf injury and by the time he had recovered, Amorim had been sacked.
Interim head coach Michael Carrick started Mainoo for the Manchester derby in January and from there he did not look back. Carrick would become the permanent head coach and Mainoo's performances alongside Casemiro helped return United to this season's Champions League.
Ahead of the trip to Atletico Madrid, that will be shown live on Prime Video from 6.30pm, Mainoo spoke with legendary midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who asked Mainoo about the period under Amorim. "I learned a lot off the pitch, like patience," Mainoo admitted. "It helped me get into a routine a lot, you know.
"I can only control what I can control, which is my routines, what I am doing away from the pitch so I can stay sharp and try and stay fit. I think that helped me a lot as well with discipline."
"No [it was not easy]," Mainoo continued. "When you are not playing, the season feels long and even if you don’t see an end to it, you have to keep training and working like the next game is the one. So that’s the main thing, staying ready."
Whether Mainoo will be ready for tomorrow night's game remains to be seen. The midfielder, along with Luke Shaw, was absent from training at Carrington on Monday. The pair joined existing injury concerns Patrick Dorgu, Noussair Mazraoui and Benjamin Sesko in not training.
Historically, United have shared which players have travelled for away games in Europe. But this season the Reds have chosen not to do so as they feel disclosing their squad could be advantageous to their opponents.
Carrick is set to face the media in Madrid this evening when an injury update will be given.