\u201cHe\u2019s so relaxed, the game\u2019s so easy to him. It\u2019s almost like poetry in motion.\u201d Those words capture the early promise that accompanied Kobbie Mainoo as he forced his way into Manchester United\u2019s first team during 2023\u201324. His breakout campaign ended with a defining moment: the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.<\/p>\n
Mainoo\u2019s rise was rapid. After three appearances in 2022\u201323 he made 32 in 2023\u201324, logging 2,389 minutes and contributing to six goal involvements. His performances earned him a place in England\u2019s Euro 2024 squad and a start in the final against Spain. Expectations were high, but the following season did not follow the same script.<\/p>\n
In 2024\u201325 Mainoo featured 36 times, starting 23 matches and totalling 2,031 minutes with three goal contributions. The arrival of Ruben Amorim and his preferred 3-4-2-1 shaped squad selection. Amorim\u2019s two-man midfield has reduced opportunities for a natural free-roaming No.8. Casemiro has provided the defensive backbone, while a more creative role looks set to be occupied by Bruno Fernandes, limiting Mainoo\u2019s pathway into the team.<\/p>\n
Injuries have also interrupted continuity. Mainoo missed the start of 2023\u201324 with an ankle problem and suffered two further setbacks last term, missing 17 matches in total and three months across two spells. Those absences made it difficult to build momentum and allowed others to move ahead in the pecking order. He was given just four starts between April and the season end and was used only in stoppage time during the Europa League final as United chased an equaliser, with Amorim turning to Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho ahead of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the nearest thing I\u2019ve seen to [Zinedine] Zidane in taking a ball, receiving the ball, cruising past people,\u201d enthused Scholes in the aforementioned interview. \u201cThe sky\u2019s the limit for this lad if he keeps his head down. And he looks like the type who will stay on an even keel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mainoo sought a loan move to secure regular minutes but the transfer was blocked. With the 2025\u201326 season under way he has made two appearances so far, and consistent starts and fitness will be decisive if his development is to resume.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mainoo’s rapid rise, FA Cup final winner, now fighting for starts as minutes dry up at United. season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[179,969],"tags":[342,939,970],"class_list":["post-2644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manchester-united","category-premier-league","tag-bruno-fernandes","tag-casemiro","tag-england"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}