Exciting Manchester United prospect Kobbie Mainoo is struggling for game time under Ruben Amorim and this could ruin the future of their academy, which has developed so many top talents over the years.
Mainoo broke into the senior squad at Old Trafford in January 2023 when he made his first-team debut for the club. He was only 17 years old. He then properly started to become a key player for Manchester United in November 2023.
The midfielder started 20 Premier League matches in 2023/24 and was receiving praise from fans and the media during this time. Many fans want him to play more and refer to these past performances as perfect examples of why they believe he can make it at the club.
One of those who wants Mainoo to be playing more is former Manchester United star Paul Parker. Parker exclusively told MyBettingSites: “He went to the Euros and played more football than he or fans expected and he did very well. There’s a talent there that’s not being utilised. It just doesn’t make sense.”
He has already made 10 appearances for England, but now, his career has halted, and a huge reason for this is his current manager, Ruben Amorim.
Amorim joined in November 2024, and since then, Mainoo has been in and out of the starting lineup. Part of this was due to injury, but this season, his limited minutes is simply due to Amorim not preferring him to other midfield options.
Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount, are currently preferred to Mainoo, who has not started a Premier League match this season.
Understandably, Mainoo is not starting ahead of the likes of captain Bruno Fernandes, but he definitely deserves the same number of chances as Ugarte and Mount, two players who have failed to set the world alight since they signed for the club.
Blocking Mainoo out of the starting lineup and giving him restricted minutes is not good for his growth or his potential, which many across Europe believe is very, very high. It is also not a good look for any promising academy players as it now looks like future stars will be blocked on a first-team pathway, with big money signings preferred instead.
Only four players from the Man United academy have made their Premier League debut under Amorim since he took over, and it now feels like the exciting academy, which has produced amazing talents over the years, is now not as highly regarded as it once used to be. It is also clearly not as important as it used to be.
Fans of the club have a history and a tradition of wanting to see young stars from Manchester break into the first team and become key stars for Manchester United, and their continued support of Mainoo emphasises this.
This change at the club, combined with the poor performances over the last 12 months, sets a very bad precedent for the future and could be the catalyst for the academy’s downfall.
If the pathway between the first team and the academy continues to reduce, then exciting prospects may look elsewhere and may look towards rivals in the Premier League like Arsenal and Liverpool. Both these clubs have given Premier League debuts to exciting talents, with Max Dowman featuring for the Gunners and Rio Ngumoha breaking through at Liverpool.
It’s a huge season for Manchester United and they cannot afford to go another campaign without qualifying for Europe or winning any trophies.
If the season doesn’t go as planned, and if exciting prospects like Mainoo continue to get limited minutes, then the future looks very bleak for Manchester United and it’s moments like these which could shape the future for the better or worse.
