Ruben Amorim has admitted one major point that could be terrible news for the likes of Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo at Old Trafford.
Kobbie Mainoo has fallen out of the Manchester United starting XI this season after Ruben Amorim’s decision to play Bruno Fernandes in a deeper role in the midfield.
Casemiro has been the 40-year-old United manager’s preferred midfield partner for Bruno Fernandes, which has left Mainoo starved of important first-team minutes.
Mainoo’s future at United has been plunged into doubt over his lack of football in the 2025-26 season, with the England international even linked with a January exit.
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The 20-year-old Stockport-born talent has featured in eight matches across all competitions in the current campaign and Mainoo has one assist to his name.
Ruben Amorim’s latest admission is a real eye-opener for Man Utd talent Kobbie Mainoo
All seven of Kobbie Mainoo’s Premier League appearances this season have come from the bench and he has been struggling for consistent opportunities.
Ruben Amorim said that the club’s future could be dependent on the youth academy, including securing player sales to fund further transfers down the line.
The ex-Sporting CP head coach insisted that Manchester United need to be “really focused” and “pay a lot of attention” to how the Red Devils use their academy.
Speaking to Stan Sport, Amorim said: “So, I think the future of our club is going to be the academy because, like you said, if you look at the past, the biggest years with the most success was with academy players.
“We have also that part of it, if you sell a player from our academy, all the money you can use it to buy another one.
“So, I think we need to be really focused on that. I think is something that we need to pay a lot of attention [to].”
Kobbie Mainoo’s status as a Man Utd academy product is no longer bulletproof armour for the England midfielder
Gone are the days where some United players who came through the academy set-up would be kept at all costs, with the Red Devils taking a more cutthroat approach.
United have seen different high-profile academy talent sold in recent years, including Scott McTominay moving to Napoli and Alejandro Garnacho signing for Chelsea.
Marcus Rashford, a previous mainstay in the United first team for many years, has also been shipped out on a season-long loan to Barcelona in the summer.
Mainoo has now been left fighting for his place in the United first team and a potential sale of the England talent can no longer be ruled out.
The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have changed the landscape for how different English teams use their academy set-ups now.
Mainoo now has to let his actions speak louder than words if he wants to remain at Old Trafford for the long term under Red Devils head coach Amorim.
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