Ruben Amorim has calmed the noise around Man Utd for now with a win against Chelsea, but Phil Jones believes a storm may be around the corner with one player.
The 2-1 win against Chelsea had an air of “must-win” around it, so it is a relief that Man Utd turned up and put in a good performance.
Ruben Amorim has made it clear that he intends to stay at Old Trafford for the long haul, and for that, he needs results to back him up.
Equally as important, however, is the backing of the player and the fans, and he could lose it big-time if Phil Jones‘ prediction about a certain player comes true.
Phil Jones makes Kobbie Mainoo claim
United won against Chelsea, so all was forgotten, but it was another game of Kobbie Mainoo having to watch the action unfold from the bench.
Mainoo starred against Man City off the bench in a game where there weren’t many positives, and his reward was a nine-minute cameo against Chelsea.
He won some fouls and put in some good tackles to help United see out the win, but, at this point, it would be a surprise to see him start against Brentford.
Phil Jones, speaking on Stadium Astro, said he can’t understand Ruben Amorim not rating Mainoo enough as a first-team regular, and if things stay the way they are, United should be prepared to get rocked in January.
He said: “Kobbie is a player that I really admire. I loved watching him come into the team, and I remember his performance at Everton away, his first start.
“He absolutely bossed the game. He was terrific that night. It was a mature performance, and he carried on that season.
“It just looks like at the minute he’s out of favour. The manager’s already come out and stated that he’s not going to be playing with Bruno. You’re not going to dislodge Bruno in the form that he’s in.
“He’s going to find it difficult for games. I think by Christmas and January time, if he’s not had the game time that he’ll like, then I’m sure he’ll be trying to force a loan move.”
Ruben Amorim needs to compromise
On one hand, it’s easy to understand why Amorim is taking a hard stance with Mainoo.
He has seen Man Utd’s academy products crash and burn after getting caught in their own hype, and is wary of letting that happen with Mainoo.
On the other hand, Mainoo has been a model professional, unlike other academy products Amorim dealt with, and has already shown the quality to flourish as a starter.
Pitting him against Fernandes for a place in the XI is, as Jones said, effectively saying he won’t start any game, especially now that there’s no Carabao Cup/European football.
United can’t afford to sour their relationship with arguably the best academy product in midfield for decades on the basis of the manager’s hard stance.
Amorim needs to soften his stance and compromise a bit, while Mainoo needs to listen to Amorim and add to his game.
This will be a disaster if it ends with Mainoo missing the World Cup or moving away from the club because Amorim didn’t give him minutes.
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