- Kobbie Mainoo was one of few bright lights for Manchester United last season
- Under Ruben Amorim he has been utilised in a number of roles including striker
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Paul Scholes has expressed his concerns for Kobbie Mainoo’s place in Ruben Amorim’s side, suggesting that Manchester United are unsure where best to utilise the midfielder.
Mainoo emerged last season as one of few shining lights in an ailing side, earning himself a spot on the plane to Germany with Gareth Southgate’s England side at the European Championship.
His startling rise saw him nominated for the Golden Boy award – handed out to the best young player in Europe’s top five leagues – and he quickly became one of the most prized assets at Old Trafford.
This season, however, he has faced a combination of injury concerns and the usual problems associated with a change of manager.
The consistency with which he ended last season has been somewhat more difficult to find this term, and he has been asked to play in a variety of roles recently by Amorim, including as a striker against Crystal Palace.
As such, Scholes claimed the player seems ‘lost’ at the moment, before he compared him to Arsenal star Declan Rice.
Paul Scholes claimed that he thinks Kobbie Mainoo ‘doesn’t know where to play’ at the moment
The Manchester United wonderkid last year emerged as one of the club’s few bright lights
Under Ruben Amorim he has been deployed in a number of roles – including as a striker
‘I think Mainoo is lost,’ Scholes told The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘I’ve talked about Declan Rice being lost before – I think Mainoo is lost as well. They don’t know what to do with him.
‘I don’t think he knows where to play on a football pitch because he’s been played in one of the number 10 positions, he has been played in the two in the midfield, which I can see probably doesn’t suit him because I don’t think the greatest athlete.
‘He’s a great footballer. I think the No 10 does suit, (but) the false nine, never in a million years.’
While primarily a deeper-lying midfielder by trade, Amorim seems content to experiment with Mainoo in more advanced positions.
Following United’s last-gasp 2-1 win over Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round, he spoke about Mainoo’s abilities on the ball in one vs one situations along with his ability to press off the ball, and how that could help in attack.
A move further forward would however leave a hole behind him in the central pairing that Amorim prefers.
With a 3-4-2-1, the two play higher up as attacking midfielders supporting the lone striker, while the duo in the centre of a four-man midfield are relied on to cover the defence and recycle possession, before pushing up field.
Mainoo was played as a striker in the 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace at Old Trafford last week
United have the emerging Toby Collyer, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen currently in the squad.
However, the latter three are better suited higher up the field, and Casemiro is well past his legendary best.
Collyer has impressed in his stint with the first team, though Mainoo is comfortably the better player at this moment, with Ugarte the other strong option holding down the fort in the middle, although that would make for a somewhat defensive unit.
United have struggled for goals with only 28 from their 24 games thus far, and will take on fellow strugglers Tottenham on Sunday in a game that both sides could really do with taking three points from.
