Manchester United have invested big in the summer transfer window, majorly improving their attack with the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and Benjamin Sesko.
After last season’s debacle where the Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League points table, the upcoming campaign could be a decisive one for manager Ruben Amorim, who has vowed to improve things at Old Trafford.
While United’s attack have been bolstered with those signings, there’s a lot of concern around their midfield with Kobbie Mainoo expected to take up a bigger role after an underwhelming last campaign.
The Red Devils are linked with Brighton star Carlos Baleba but fans and pundits still expect Mainoo to partner the Cameroonian if the move eventually materializes.
However, former Man United defender Gary Neville has raised a concern regarding Mainoo as he believes that his performances haven’t been good enough to instill enough confidence in Amorim to make him a regular starter.
“The midfield does look worrying with Ugarte, Casemiro and Mainoo,” Neville said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football.
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“Do you know what, I looked at Kobbie Mainoo last week and it looked like he has physically changed.
“He looked stronger, like he was more sturdy then he was before.
“It’s early but I thought Kobbie Mainoo would be an absolute certainty to play as one of United’s two midfield players for the next five or ten years.
“But it doesn’t feel like the manager is fully on board with that.”
Why is Kobbie Mainoo’s future at Manchester United in doubt?
The England international had sensational breakthrough 2023/24 season for the Red Devils, so much so that he made it to the England squad for the 2024 Euros.
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However, he failed to replicate that form last season due to incessant injuries and inconsistent form and the 20-year-old only started 23 games across all competitions last season.
Also with Baleba deal intensifying, it will be interesting to see if Mainoo’s quest for being a regular starter for United manages to gain momentum.
Earlier there were also talks about the English midfielder moving out of Old Trafford with Chelsea and Spurs also showing interest in 20-year-old.
However, now it feels like Mainoo will continue to fight for his place at United with the hope of rediscovering his form.
But securing a starter role could be tough for the 20-year-old, especially in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formation where Bruno Fernandes could play in a deeper role with Mbuemo, Cunha and Sesko forming the front three in attack.
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