Mainoo will be snubbed from Amorim's starting XI

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 26 Nov 2024 05:04 CST
4 min read

Kobbie Mainoo, Man Utd, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim may look to snub Kobbie Mainoo in the future, according to former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy.

Article continues under the video

Mainoo was on the bench as United drew 1-1 against Ipswich Town, but he wasn't among the five substitutes brought on.

No.6 Manuel Ugarte was among those subbed on at Portman Road. The Uruguayan has worked with Amorim previously when the pair were both at Sporting CP.

The Portuguese coach has started his tenure by implementing a 3-4-3 formation. It's not clear whether this will be the main system going forward going forward but Murphy has suggested that the double pivot in the centre of midfield will see Mainoo snubbed out of the starting XI.

"To play that role well, United's midfielders will need to be more than just mobile, too," he wrote for BBC Sport.

"They will both have to love the defensive side of the game and be able to spot danger and then be fast enough to stop it. In the long run, I think Manuel Ugarte will be one of them.

"He needs a run of games to get his sharpness back, but we have seen glimpses of how good he is, for example, in the Europa League against Fenerbahce last month, and he has flourished under Amorim at Sporting before. As for who Ugarte will have alongside him, well, it will probably be someone who is not at the club at the moment.

Current ETV

Kobbie Mainoo

M, DM (C)

Man Utd

Kobbie Mainoo

M, DM (C)

Man Utd

ETV Range

€26.1M - €43.5M

"There is going to have to be activity in the next couple of transfer windows for them to get the type of player Amorim requires."

United leaks

United dressing room leaks have already started to emerge as it's been revealed what Ruben Amorim told his squad after the club's 1-1 draw to Ipswich Town.

It's been reported via The Sun that the former Sport CP head coach awarded his side's display as "a five out of ten". It was the 39-year-old's first match in charge on Sunday.

The game got off to a perfect start for the Red Devils as Marcus Rashford opened the scoring within 81 seconds, latching onto Amad Diallo's superb cross and burying from close range.

But things went downhill from there as United put their foot off the gas. It was an unfamiliar 3-4-3 formation and this started to show. Former Chelsea man Omari Hutchinson managed to get a goal back for the Tractor Boys as the game ended 1-1 at Portman Road.

After the game, it's believed that Amorim was not overly impressed with how his side performed. A source told the aforementioned publication: "Amorim said their performance was a five out of ten.

"He was impressed with Ipswich and thought the game was played at an incredible intensity. But he added that it showed just how much United need to improve.

"He was critical of one or two players for losing the ball and not being in the right positions. But he also said, ‘Some of you I’ve had for two days, some two weeks’, so he was realistic. He did say they were going to have to learn quickly."