Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has rallied behind Kobbie Mainoo as the midfielder continues to find himself excluded from Ruben Amorim‘s starting XI. Mainoo has only played 183 minutes of Premier League football this season, all as a substitute, with Amorim yet to hand the 20-year-old his first start of the campaign. The youngster has been with United since joining their academy aged nine, progressing through the youth system before establishing himself in the senior squad under Erik ten Hag.
However, since Amorim’s arrival last November, the midfielder has found regular starting opportunities hard to come by. The current United boss has remained resolute in his squad restructuring, banishing several first-team stars to what became dubbed the ‘bomb squad’ during the summer window. Mainoo escaped inclusion in that particular group but his restricted playing time is beginning to spark worry. Throughout United’s previous three fixtures, he has featured for merely 13 minutes combined.
Mainoo’s predicament is beginning to frustrate Scholes, with the United legend suggesting his talent is likely ’embarrassing’ Casemiro during training sessions.
Speaking on The Good The Bad and The Football podcast, he said: “Ruben Amorim has said Kobbie Mainoo is a starter… every appearance he’s made in the Premier League has been as a sub. Things like that wind me up.
“I wouldn’t mind if he was in a good team and they were winning every week and keeping possession but they’re rubbish. Kobbie is a 20-year-old kid and he’s not playing, he’s going to have to leave.
“Do you know what will happen now? Amorim will bring him into a game and he won’t be great but that’s because he needs regular games.
“Fair enough, as a manger sometimes you just don’t fancy a player. But look at what he’s already done – scored the winner in an FA Cup final, played every game in the Euros.
“I bet he takes the p*** out of Casemiro every single day in training and is brilliant. I don’t know why the club are letting Amorim treat a homegrown talent like that.”
Nicky Butt remains equally frustrated with Mainoo’s situation and dropped hints about potential destinations for the midfielder.
He said: “If Mainoo was playing for another Premier League club, United go and buy him for £70m or £80m. Now we’re going to sell him and he’ll be a superstar elsewhere.
“We’re getting rid of players who love the football club, it’s mind-boggling. I get the [Alejandro] Garnacho one because his attitude and behaviour was terrible but you don’t hear that about Kobbie.
“He’s a top, top, top player that we are f****** up. Kobbie has got to go. If I’m looking after him, I’m telling him: ‘We’re getting you out of that football club’.
“For his football career he has to leave United. He’s lost 18 months of development. I hope he goes abroad because it’s embarrassing if he goes to Chelsea, which could happen.
“They might go and get him because they are putting together a very good, young squad and keep buying young players. He could quite easily end up at Chelsea next season.
“I’ve known Kobbie since he was eight but you wouldn’t be doing him justice if you told him to stay and not to take that move. That’s such a sad thing for me to say.”
Scholes agreed, saying: “Do you know what? You’d have to advise him to go [to Chelsea], wouldn’t you? If he rang me and said: ‘Look, Chelsea are interested, what do you think?’. I’d say go all day long.”