Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim looks set to get plenty more time to turn things around and make a success of his time at Old Trafford.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently explained that he would like to give the Portuguese manager up to three seasons to prove that he is a good enough coach to lead the Red Devils forward.
As heard in the clip above, the United chief referenced Sir Alex Ferguson and Mikel Arteta’s underwhelming starts to their respective careers at Manchester United and Arsenal as a defence of Amorim’s record to date.
The former Sporting head coach has won 20 and lost 21 of his 50 matches in charge of the Premier League giants, including a loss in the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur at the end of last season.
Patience is not often afforded to managers with that kind of record at a club the size of Manchester United, so Sir Jim Ratcliffe can be applauded in that respect.
One current Red Devils player who may not be too happy with Amorim’s continued backing from above is central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who finds himself sitting on the bench most weeks.
Why Kobbie Mainoo is not starting for Man Utd
The England international is not a regular starter at the moment because the 3-4-2-1 system means that he is directly competing with club captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the starting line-up.
Amorim, as shown in the quotes above, confirmed outright that Mainoo needs to fight it out with Bruno to earn a regular spot in the XI, which is why he has yet to start a game in the Premier League this season.
The Portugal international is the club captain and has scored 100 goals in 298 matches for the club in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he provides a huge threat at the top end of the pitch.
For all of Mainoo’s qualities, the England international’s return of seven goals and three assists in 78 matches for United, per Transfermarkt, shows that he is not as influential as Bruno is in the final third.
The academy graduate does not fall into the specific roles that Amorim wants in his midfield two, as he is not a specialist attacking midfielder or a specialist defensive midfielder, but his form under Erik ten Hag proved that he is a big talent at Premier League level.
23/24 Premier League
Kobbie Mainoo per 90
Percentile rank vs CMs
Take-ons attempted
2.71
Top 20%
Take-ons completed
1.42
Top 18%
Take-on success rate
53.4%
Top 28%
Goal-creating actions (take-ons)
0.09
Top 4%
Goal-creating actions (shot)
0.09
Top 2%
Goal-creating actions (fouls drawn)
0.05
Top 9%
As you can see in the table above, Mainoo can excel in a box-to-box midfield role as part of a midfield three, as he can glide past players with the ball and get his team up the pitch to create dangerous situations.
Irrespective of his current situation under Amorim, the central midfielder’s progression to the first-team has been a success as United have developed a Premier League-grade and England international level star from their academy.
Whether he returns to the team under Amorim, despite his current struggles, or excels under another coach if the manager loses his job, Mainoo has enough talent to be a success at Old Trafford eventually.
Another player who could follow in the central midfielder’s footsteps by stepping up from the academy to shine in the first-team is U21s starlet Sekou Kone.
Why Sekou Kone could be the next Kobbie Mainoo for Man Utd
The Mali U17 international joined Manchester United from Guidars FC in the summer of 2024, and has caught the eye at youth level for the Red Devils over the past 14 months or so.
Kone has yet to make his debut for the first-team, but it was reported last month that he is viewed internally as the sixth-best central midfielder at the club and could get a chance in the senior team before the end of the season.
The 19-year-old starlet has been out of action since August with a head injury, unfortunately, but is now back in training with the U21s and is expected to be back on the pitch after the current international break, which will provide Amorim with a chance to assess his progress.
Prior to his injury earlier this season, Kone’s form for Manchester United at U21 level attracted admirers because of his impressive showings in midfield.
U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed that the central midfielder has “the skillset to be a beast under Ruben Amorim”. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig also compared him to Michael Essien and claimed that he has “9/10” potential.
Kone has not made a senior appearance for Manchester United, yet, but he did showcase some of his potential in a 42 minute cameo against League One side Huddersfield Town in the EFL Trophy last year, an appearance that was cut short by an injury just before the break.
Vs Huddersfield (EFL Trophy)
Sekou Kone
Minutes
42
Pass accuracy
82%
Ground duels won
2/4
Tackle success rate
100%
Interceptions
2
Ball recoveries
3
Dribbled past
0x
As you can see in the table above, the Mali youth international demonstrated his defensive quality in the middle of the park, winning 100% of his attempted tackles without being dribbled past a single time.
The 19-year-old star is a powerful midfielder who can provide a solid presence, as illustrated by those statistics and Kulig’s comparison to Essien, but it is now down to him to prove that he can do it at first-team level.
His defensive prowess could give him a greater chance of making it as a regular starter under Amorim than Mainoo, because he could fill the defensive midfield role that Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte have shared this season.
Therefore, Manchester United may be brewing their next Mainoo in Kone, as another academy midfielder who could break into the first-team, whilst the teenage star’s qualities could even see him move above the Englishman in the pecking order if Amorim remains in post.
