06 May 2026 23:43:00
Mainoo is playing some great football right now. While a lot of people bemoan his time under Amorim, there can be another perspective of that time.

All great players have to overcome challenges along the way to becoming great players. For some it's injury, for others it's challenges off the pitch, for some it's poor form or a lack of trust from a manager.

As they say diamonds are formed under pressure.

I'm 100% sure that Mainoo was uncomfortable and probably unhappy for large spells under the former manager, to be honest I'd be more concerned if he wasn't.

Yet the truth is that Mainoo while supremely talented, he was not (and still isn't) the finished article. There were aspects of his game missing, rough edges that needed smoothing. There was time where he seemed to almost coast through games. His understanding of the game means that he often 'sees' things before others, which means he's often a yard quicker in his head. As such he rarely had to "bust a gut" to get into position or just aggressively into a tackle to make up that half a yard. However, that also meant that he lacked a little in terms of intensity, he was one paced.

However, since he came back into the team you can see a real hunger in his game, you cannot accuse him of coasting now. He has also upped his work rate a few notches (he covered the most ground of any of our players against Liverpool).

Sometimes the most important lessons in football aren't learned by playing, but by not playing. By being forced to reflect on yourself and your game and what you need to do differently to get back into the team. To focus on developing those other areas of your game.

While none of us were happy to see Mainoo struggling to get into the team, I think it's all clear to see now how overcoming that challenge has made him into a far more effective player.

1.) 07 May 2026
07 May 2026 08:05:02
Ahh, I see it was all a grand master plan and nothing to do with Amorim having a bust up with Wilcox and, subsequently, imploding in his post-match press conference against Leeds.

If that didn't happen, Kobbie likely would have been loaned out in Jan and sold permanently in summer and would be doing this for another team.

2.) 07 May 2026
07 May 2026 10:52:17
He was injured, he needed a solid run, he didn't get that, Ra clearly didn't rate him or want him, to the extent that he could have been sold.

He's now been given that solid run and we have seen him grow and improve.

I think you are massively over analysing this.

3.) 07 May 2026
07 May 2026 11:06:23
When a football manager doesn't really rate you, there's only so much you can do. You keep working hard, stay professional, and control what you can control - but sometimes it's just not your place or your manager.

Tbf to Mainoo, he didn't make any noise, that was all outside nonsense.

He requested to go on loan, not to leave because he clearly still felt he had a career at United but wanted to be playing which should be applauded. Really happy the lad is back in the team.

4.) 07 May 2026
07 May 2026 14:12:36
I don't think Amorim taught him any lesson or that the experience helped him in any way.

Amorim told Manioo he was backup to the club captain, a player who never misses a game, in a season where the team was playing once a week. This wasn't a case of encouraging Manioo to dig deep and improve.

It was the manager blatantly telling a young player that he isn't part of his plans.

We nearly lost an incredibly promising young player because he didn't fit with the manager's system.

5.) 07 May 2026
07 May 2026 21:00:22
I think some people might have missed the point. I'm not saying Amorim had some grand plan or anything.

Ultimately, none of us know why Amorim didn't pick him beyond what Amorim said to the press (which obviously has to be taken with a pinch of salt).

Maybe Amorim wanted to help him improve and felt he needed to work on himself, or maybe Amorim just had a personal dislike for him.

To be honest, the why is irrelevant now Amorim has gone.

What I'm saying is that every single person who has gone to great success has had to overcome challenges along the way.

Far more often, it is the setbacks and the challenges that mould us more than our successes.

If we want to try and look at a parallel, we had Mainoo and Garnacho break into the first team around the same time, both super talented young players who were considered the future for our club.



Garnacho never had any challenges to overcome, he was given every opportunity and was indulged in his mistakes. He was allowed to keep making the same mistakes over and over again without consequence.

Now he looks fragile and unable to deal with setbacks, he lacks resilience and drive. He is unable to self-reflect and identify areas to improve, and instead looks outside to find the issues he is having.

Mainoo, by contrast, has had to learn to fight, to reflect, and to work on himself and his game.

Long term, one of them is going to be far more successful than the other, and it's those setbacks, or the lack of a challenge, that will be key in moulding them and ultimately deciding if they will be successful or not.

6.) 08 May 2026
08 May 2026 04:36:58
It just comes down to one thing, and one thing only, and that's the personal attitude.
Personal attitude... No more, no less. No previous manager or present manager can dress it up how you like, give plaudits to 3rd parties, write essays about it, or rant... it's still the same thing, Attitude.