When a young star goes from lifting the FA Cup with Manchester United to barely getting a sniff of the pitch, you know something's gone wrong. That was the reality for Kobbie Mainoo under Ruben Amorim—but thanks to Michael Carrick's arrival, the script has flipped dramatically.
Mainoo was a regular for the Red Devils during their triumphant FA Cup run under Erik ten Hag and even helped England reach the Euro 2024 final. But when Amorim took over, the Portuguese coach decided the 21-year-old didn't fit his system, opting for Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro instead. Suddenly, Mainoo couldn't buy a start in the Premier League, and whispers of a departure grew louder.
It got so bad that Mainoo considered leaving his boyhood club—not once, but twice. INEOS blocked his transfer request in the summer, but it was Carrick's appointment as caretaker head coach in January, following Amorim's sacking, that truly turned things around. Since Carrick took charge, Mainoo has started all but one game, and his heroics against Liverpool helped secure United's return to the Champions League.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Stockport-born midfielder opened up about that dark period. "When you're not playing many games, or any games, you consider all things. But at the forefront of my mind was always to play for Manchester United and continue to play for this club that I've grown up at," he said, reflecting on how close he came to leaving.
He also explained the mental toll of being frozen out. "When there's new managers, they have their way that they want to play and if they think you don't fit that, then you don't fit that. All I can do is try and work and train to maybe see it in a different light. Going from playing nearly every game to not playing as often is always going to be a difficult adjustment. It was good for me in terms of learning about myself, the game, and patience. How to schedule my life and how I train and how I work and getting into routines."
Perhaps the toughest part? Not even getting off the bench. "It's difficult when you don't even come on as a sub, of course. But I'd say my family and my friends helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. They knew it would swing back my way at some point."
For Manchester United fans—and anyone who loves a good comeback story—Mainoo's resurgence is a reminder that patience and perseverance can pay off, even when the tunnel seems pitch black.