Ruben Amorim has been frequently asked about Kobbie Mainoo in 2025, and his responses have been very consistent.
It is an immense source of frustration to Manchester United fans that Kobbie Mainoo has been unable to win over head coach Ruben Amorim.
Mainoo is one of Manchester United’s most exciting young players, who has proven his ability to impact games at the top level.
However, Ruben Amorim is not so convinced. One theme throughout the calendar year of 2025 is that Kobbie Mainoo has not been part of his starting line-up.
Amorim left Mainoo out of his first 15 Premier League line-ups this season, despite the midfielder being fully fit.
This has sparked ongoing speculation about Mainoo’s exit, with his World Cup hopes with England at severe risk, after he was omitted from every squad early this season.
So what is behind this? Why does Ruben Amorim not rate the midfielder as an essential part of the team?
We have trawled through Amorim’s comments on Mainoo across 2025, to delve into his reasoning…
Push comes to shove: Would you rather have Kobbie Mainoo stay at Man Utd or Ruben Amorim?
“You guys [the media] feel like Kobbie Mainoo is the finished product- he is not, he has so much potential to grow up even more.”
- January 2025
In early January, Ruben Amorim issued the first hints that he was not fully on board with the Kobbie Mainoo experience.
It came after Mainoo started for United in five matches in December in the Premier League, and the team lost three of them..
There was hope at the time that Amorim would be fully invested in working to improve Mainoo, and it would still be the beginning of a successful working relationship between player and coach.
“He is really good near the box, the small connections… Sometimes, he’s worrying about the recovery [runs], trying to defend…”
- January 2025
In a separate post-game interview, Amorim expressed that he felt Mainoo was better in an attacking role, hinting that the defensive side was more of a challenge for him.
Amorim even played Mainoo as an emergency forward in a home defeat to Palace, before he suffered an injury.
“His pace in the game. He needs to improve in the build-up. Near the box, he has a lot of talent and that is why I think he did a really good game in the Europa League in that position.
“But I don’t see a full player at the moment; he is 19. If I say I have seen the final player, I don’t think I am helping Kobbie”
- April 2025
Kobbie Mainoo showed his quality with a stirring cameo performance from the bench to help United to a dramatic 5-4 win over Lyon.
But reflecting on Mainoo’s overall progress, Amorim expressed that he was still not convinced about the midfielder.
He also added that if he talked him up, he would be doing Mainoo no favours. Unfortunately, Amorim’s actions backed up his worries over the midfielder.
Amorim brought on Mainoo as a 90th minute substitute when trailing in the Europa League Final, giving him next to no time to impact the game.
“He needs to increase the rhythm, the pace. I’m always on top of that with Kobbie because he is so good sometimes, but he can be better.”
- July 2025
Speaking in pre-season, Amorim hinted that his concerns over Mainoo were out of tough love, because he wants him to improve.
Mainoo played a peripheral role in pre-season, a sign of what lay ahead for the promising midfielder in 2025/26.
Once again, Amorim’s comments focused around pace. Just like the comments he made in April, the United coach underlined that Mainoo’s style may not be quick enough for the way he wants his teams to build.
Ruben Amorim admitted coaches can be wrong
Speaking September 2025, Amorim gave his most in-depth analysis of Kobbie Mainoo’s game.
He explained that in his opinion, Mainoo is not disciplined enough to play as a holding midfielder, while also expressing that he lacks ‘pace’ to play a more attacking role.
In a show of self-awareness, Amorim added that he acknowledges a coach can be wrong about a player, citing PSG ace Vitinha’s tough spell at Wolves.
“Sometimes I expect more from Kobbie Mainoo. I know he can give that. He is really good at controlling the game, but if he plays as a no.8, he has to reach the box [and be] returning [back to midfield]. Sometimes he has to cover a lot of space.
“Kobbie could play as a no.6, but sometimes he passes the ball and goes away, and that’s not a reference as a no.6. So we have to balance everything
“I think he needs the technical ability he has, but more pace. He needs to better understand the position, [and] to play in different speeds.
“Sometimes it’s the opinion of a coach. I remember Vitinha. Vitinha was not playing for Wolverhampton Nowadays, you can see that he’s maybe the best midfielder in the world. So you never know! I need to go with what I’m feeling in the moment.”
- September 2025
Ruben Amorim admitted coaches can be wrong about a player when discussing Kobbie Mainoo
Could Mainoo follow Vitinha and become a 'best in the world' calibre star if he gets a transfer?
In a separate interview, Ruben Amorim admitted that Kobbie Mainoo may simply be a bad match for his system.
He pointed out that Mainoo did thrive under Erik ten Hag, and in incisive comments, he pointed out that there are players he has who he believes can do the job better than Kobbie Mainoo.
“The way I play is completely different from the last manager… Kobbie was the only guy that calmed down the game. Now, we have other players… We play different.”
- September 2025
“I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie… But that doesn’t mean I need to put Kobbie [in] when I feel that I shouldn’t put Kobbie [in], so it’s my decision.”
- December 2025
Speaking in late 2025, Ruben Amorim became very defensive when quizzed about the ongoing frustration of Manchester United supporters about Kobbie Mainoo.
Amorim said he would be sticking to his guns and would only select Mainoo when he wants to, and not down to fan pressure.
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