Not too many years ago, a 19, 20-year-old was still perceived as an apprentice at the biggest Premier League clubs. Now a 20-year-old is restless and unhappy if he doesn’t get to play regularly on match day. For Kobbie Mainoo, football life, from being declared a genius by United legends in the 2023/24 season, to “facing reality” under Ruben Amorim has been tough. United fans will say this is something the 20-year-old needs to work through and stop whining, otherwise he doesn’t deserve to wear the Man Utd shirt. Ruben Amorim and Mainoo are anything but on the same course.
With a few days before the transfer window closes, The Atheltic reports Kobbie Mainoo has announced that he wants to leave.
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In a meeting with United management, the 20-year-old said he “has no intention” of leaving permanently, but that he feels he needs to move to continue developing. Ruben Amorim turns a deaf ear.
“We need Kobbie and I want him to stay. He has to fight for his place, and that’s not going to change. I understand that the players who are not playing right now are disappointed, but everyone will have the same opportunity to play. You have to fight for it during the week,” Amorim said at a press conference on Friday.
It is part of the story that Manchester United have tried to extend contact with the midfielder since Mainoo ravaged city rivals City in the 2024 FA Cup final. The expectations of a super salary of up to £200,000 in weekly wages as a 20-year-old with 73 senior games in his legs do not rhyme with the United management’s perception of reality. Neither have the supporters, who have reacted strongly to the rumours about Mainoo’s wage demands, while they have seen their club drop in free fall down the league table last season.
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For us, this will be a completely natural treatment for a 20-year-old from the academy who has been dazzled by his rocket success as a teenager.
