Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea on Saturday evening is a paper over the cracks at Old Trafford, putting firm pressure on manager Reuben Amorim.
The 40-year-old has been at the helm for a year after retrieving the reins in November 2024, but the spell he is in charge has certainly been one of the disappointments he has done so far.
He has registered a 40% victory rate so far, losing 20 of his 48 outings. This led the Red Devils to record the worst Premier League finish in 2024/25.
However, his philosophy has been questioned recently, and Amorim is reluctant to leave his current 3-4-2-1 system, which has not yet taken off.
The treatment of one first-team player has also been questioned recently, not the only questionable thing that has been done by a former sports CP boss.
Kobbie Mainoo’s current status at Man Utd
Midfielder Cobby Mineau appeared to be a key member of the United First Team team a few years ago, but it’s safe to say that Amorim has stopped his progress.
In the 2023/24 campaign, the British have made 32 appearances in all competitions and have since found five net backs, including the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
However, last season, the 20-year-old was limited to just 20 league starts, so often he had to resort to minutes from the alternative bench to make an impact at Old Trafford.
This time, the academy graduate has won 76 minutes of English top flight action, and the player himself has also requested that he leave the club of his youth.
The British continued to develop and develop the regular game time from the Red Devils, but such a move was rejected and Mainoo had to once again establish himself as the patronage of the first team.
His shortage of minutes is a surprise to many. Given his previous success with the first team, he has waned his actions, and as a result of the decline in his actions, there is one former player in front of him.
Former United star currently outperforms Mainoo
United Academy has been a conveyor belt for talent for many years and has since supported many managers in search of success at Old Trafford.
The ’92 class remains undoubtedly one of the most iconic ones, with five talents of talent earning over 3,000 appearances during each career.
Few people have been moving forward to achieve such heights since the talent came into being in the early 90s, but they have been able to create a successful career at the top level of European games.
Mainoo is one of the players who showed a glimpse of his quality, but Angel Gomes is another player. However, he has been a man who has slipped through the club’s net in recent years.
The British joined the club at age 6 and spent 10 years within the youth system before making his debut in the Premier League in 2017 at just 16 years old.
He made nine more senior appearances during the summer of 2020 after his debut – departing a free transfer at the end of his contract to pursue additional minutes elsewhere.
After his departure from Old Trafford, the youngster joined Lille for a free transfer, spending four years in France, earning over 100 appearances, leading to a call-up for Maiden England last year.
He moved to Marseille this summer, but his numbers for last season highlight his development in recent years – better than Mainoo in the 2024/25 campaign.
Gomes & Mainoo – Statistics from 2024/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Gomez | Mine |
The game has been played | 14 | twenty five |
Goals and Assistance | 2 | 0 |
Key Pass | 1.7 | 0.7 |
Move to the last third | 3.9 | 2.7 |
You’ll be given to an 18-yard box | 1.7 | 0.6 |
Take-on success | 50% | 46% |
I’ll bring it to the last third | 2.1 | 0.9 |
Progressive Carry | 1.8 | 1.2 |
The air won | 46% | 38% |
Statistics via FBREF | ||
Labeled “sensational” by one analyst, Gomez completed more key passes per 90, but registers more passes in the final third.
He also completed many of the take-ons he attempted, raising the carry to the final third of per 90 people, allowing him to provide an endless opportunity for people before him.
However, despite his domination with the 25-year-old Ball, he was able to thrive without it, gaining more airborne he entered – the perfect box-to-box option potentially at the heart of Amorim.
Given his amazing rise from the Red Devils over the past few years, it’s no surprise that the club will regret not being able to bring him into a new contract when the opportunity arises.
But Gomez now remains a case of what could potentially be a key member before Mine if he had kept him in his embrace five years ago.