As the transfer window deadline closes in (August 31), one of the most exciting updates is between Mainoo, Amorim, and the Manchester United board. Mainoo, the teenage sensation who was tipped as one of the best midfield players rising from the ranks of Carrington has struggled for gametime since the beginning of the league and it looks set to continue.
What is the true story?
Under Amorim, there is a midfield-pivot that is cleary taken up by Bruno Fernandes, the club captain, and usually either one of Ugarte or Casemiro.
While Mainoo hasn’t had enough playing time, it seemed like the thoughts of many turned to his direction as fans wondered how on earth the England international hasn’t had any minutes.
In answering questions posed around this subject, Ruben Amorim said Kobbie had to fight for his place in the heart of the midfield and that surely means displacing Bruno.
But Can He Truly Fight for His Place?
This is the big question: can Kobbie Mainoo take Bruno’s place in the starting 11?
Without any bias, facing it objectively, it is hard to see Mainoo taking Bruno’s place because of the difference in quality.
Mainoo’s decision making in front of goal has been pinpoint without any doubt as we have seen countless times but in the heart of the midfield, there is not much that he has to offer yet compared to Bruno.
With Bruno, you have a creator, someone with a vision to send forward passes in a flash. Bruno may have been criticized for his indiscipline – losing possession and not supporting the defense at times which is part of what the two midfielders in this 3-4-3 setup are about.
But talking about the difference in quality, Mainoo isn’t far off from Bruno Fernandes taking stats that are needed for a midfielder in Amorim’s gameplan into consideration.
The stats from last season Bruno vs Mainoo shows a grave similarity between both players even though the captain played more games and attempted more passes than the youngster.
Other areas where Bruno has the advantage over Mainoo would be in set piece taking, attacking threat, touches in the opposition box, and midfield creativity.
On these counts, the sentiments of the youngster who desires a loan move is valid.
Why should he want to fight for his place in a team with Bruno Fernandes who is also the club captain taking his position?
With the news about his desire to go on loan for playing time, Mainoo has obviously weighed his options, especially with the World Cup closing in, and has decided to play elsewhere.
Tuchel’s announcement of the squad for the Three Lions’s World Cup qualifying matches against Andorra and Serbia shows how much Mainoo’s lack of playing time has affected the midfielder’s prospect.
Mainoo wasn’t mentioned in the England team ahead of the International break and Tuchel’s response in a press conference was that the player’s club affected his chances of getting into the squad.
Do you think Mainoo should stay put and “fight” for his place as his coach suggests or should he get playing time somewhere else?
