A message that is anything but subtle. On Monday evening, during the spectacular draw between Manchester United and Bournemouth (4-4), Kobbie Mainoo’s brother, Jordan Mainoo-Hames, was seen at Old Trafford wearing a black t-shirt reading “Free Kobbie Mainoo”. A clear message demanding more playing time for the young midfielder, or even the possibility of letting him leave so that he can express himself in another club.
Arriving more than a year ago on the bench of the Red Devils, Ruben Amorim never seemed convinced by the young English international, to the great dismay of Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes, who both criticized the Portuguese’s choices. Kobbie Mainoo, for his part, would once again consider leaving on loan during the January transfer window after being retained by Manchester United last summer. Coming on in the second half against the Cherries, he has still not started a single Premier League match this season and has only played 212 minutes of play.
