Kobbie Mainoo has opened up on the difficulties he faced after being left out in the cold under former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim in the wake of his impressive return to form under interim boss Michael Carrick.
The Carrington graduate had been enjoying a promising breakthrough spell after being promoted to the senior team under Erik ten Hag, but felt his progress come to a halt under the Portuguese manager.
For much of Amorim’s 14 months in the dugout, Mainoo was increasingly sidelined, with the starlet going as far as seeking a loan move last summer only for Man United to block the request.
In a new interview with Sky Sports, Mainoo reflected on the challenge of working under Amorim, just months after playing a starring role in the FA Cup final to win Ten Hag’s second piece of Man United silverware.
‘Going from playing nearly every game to not playing as often, it’s always going to be difficult and an adjustment,’ Mainoo reflected. ‘But I guess it’s part of the game and that was good for me in terms of learning myself, learning the game, what it is, patience.
‘It’s difficult anytime you’re not playing because I love football and I love to play. So, I feel like I learned things off the pitch in terms of how to schedule my life and how I train and how I work, getting into routines and stuff. And being able to learn from experienced players in the team, and also patience and just working hard.’
Kobbie Mainoo has opened up on his time out in the cold at Man United under Ruben Amorim
Under Michael Carrick however, the academy graduate has enjoyed a resurgence of form
Mainoo cited team-mates including Casemiro and Joshua Zirkzee, as well as Man United’s captain Bruno Fernandes, for having given him advice during the spell as an outcast, as well as reassurance, but the midfielder admitted that it had been ‘difficult’ failing to even come off the bench for successive matches when fit.
But, Mainoo added: ‘My family, my friends helped me see light at the end of the tunnel. They knew it would swing back my way at some point, so I just had to be patient.’
Asked if it had crossed his mind to move away from Old Trafford, Mainoo was vague but noted that he had ‘considered all things’.
‘But at the forefront of my mind was always to play for Manchester United and continue to play for this club that I’ve grown up at,’ Mainoo added, stressing that his ‘dream’ of playing for Man United was the same as it had been when he was at the academy.
Fast forward to Carrick’s spell in the dugout, and Mainoo is a player reborn, having started in 14 of Man United’s last 15 games as the team has romped up the table to establish a firm grip on third place.
Mainoo has also snuffed out speculation over his future at the club, inking a blockbuster new deal last month to confirm his place at Old Trafford until 2031.
The player and his representatives are believed to have been in discussion with the club about a new contract for months, with Mainoo the lowest-paid player in the dressing room before putting pen to paper.
Mainoo also received a recent ringing endorsement from his midfield team-mate Casemiro, who described him as both the present and future of the club.
‘He’s an unbelievable player, he’s an unbelievable player,’ the Brazil international told Rio Ferdinand. ‘He’s a No 8, he’s not No 5.
‘In Europe he’s No 6. He’s unbelievable. He loves the ball, he likes the ball, he needs the ball. He never loses the ball. He’s strong, he has quality. But he needs to push every game, every time.’
‘He needs consistency. But for me, he’s the present and the future of the club. This guy is an unbelievable player.’
