The biggest learning from Ruben Amorim’s sacking is that he was holding back Kobbie Mainoo, but what if he actually ended up helping him?
The theory sounds ridiculous and plain provocative as just a plainly-worded sentence, but ask Amad, and he might have a different answer.
In fact, you don’t even need to ask Amad, because both he and Kobbie Mainoo have shown as much in every game under Michael Carrick so far.
Amad is now worth ___________
Fill in the blank!
Here’s how Amad’s example proves Amorim inadvertently ended up helping Mainoo achieve what he’s been achieving under Carrick so far.
Amad’s example in Ruben Amorim’s Kobbie Mainoo theory
The way Mainoo has played since Amorim’s sacking is far different from the way he used to play before he was frozen out by the Portuguese.
It is similar to Amad, who had a run as a right-sided winger-forward under Amorim before transitioning into an attack-minded wing-back instead.
Amad’s conversion was madness, but it worked out, and Carrick is now benefiting from it because those wing-back shifts improved his all-around game.
The Ivorian’s work-rate improved, his defensive positioning and tenacity improved, and he became more comfortable using his right foot as he often overlapped as the right-sided wing-back.
The same goes for Mainoo, only that he never actually received a chance to show what he’d been working on, unlike Amad.
Amorim asked Mainoo to cover more ground, make the tempo quicker, dive into duels and tackles, and take more risks with his passing.
Just five games into Carrick’s reign, Mainoo has added all those traits to his game. He covers ground like a man possessed, passes with quickness and precision, throws himself into duels, and keeps adding long-range passing to his repertoire.
He has done all that while preserving what he was already elite at, like small one-twos with teammates, jinking dribbles to evade the press, and a final third presence when he breaks forward.
Amorim’s demands have actually converted Mainoo into a more complete player, like Amad, with the only difference being that it still wasn’t enough for Amorim.
Mainoo’s transformation is vindication for his professionalism
Amorim might have demanded those things of Mainoo, but the player could have easily blown up and left as Alejandro Garnacho did.
Is Ruben Amorim not playing Kobbie Mainoo the worst decision you can remember from a recent Man Utd manager?
Instead, he put his head down and worked hard behind the scenes, knowing that the chances of him getting to showcase those improvements were slim to none.
When the chance arrived, after Amorim’s sacking, Mainoo was ready to grab it with both hands, which says everything about his professionalism.
Amorim might have lit a fire under Mainoo, but how to use that motivation and rejection was entirely up to him.
The Portuguese manager can get 5% credit for his demands, but the 95% vindication is for Mainoo’s professionalism.
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