Much was made about Kobbie Mainoo’s distinct lack of action under Ruben Amorim – but the Manchester United midfielder insists there were positives to take from their 14-month spell together at Old Trafford.

Among the many criticisms levelled at the Portuguese during his time as Manchester United head coach was Amorim’s reluctance to regularly play Mainoo. Clearly, Amorim‘s decision invoked the ire of United fans, but Mainoo insists that his spell on the sidelines was part of the learning process for a young player.

Mainoo suggests Amorim exile taught him how to be resilient

Asked about the times he found himself relegated to the substitutes’ bench at most, Mainoo said at a press conference before Manchester United play Roma in the Champions League: “I mean, I feel like in every period of my career so far, I’ve tried to take positives from them, even the times I’m not playing, I’ve learned things and I’m still applying them to this day.”

Progress and success, after all, are not linear concepts – particularly for young players. While the clamour for Mainoo to start more often was certainly understandable, life is full of peaks and troughs and football is no different.

It is certainly a mature outlook to take, given how much noise there was about the situation before Michael Carrick succeeded Amorim and duly restored Mainoo to the starting lineup. To suggest the fact that Mainoo learned about resilience is an overwhelming positive would be wrong, but these are the kind of unquantifiable characteristics that help shape a career.

Man Utd’s problems run deeper than a manager not picking players

None of this is to suggest Amorim was right in his handling of Mainoo. It’s certainly not as if the midfield unit he leaned upon in lieu of the England midfielder’s presence was working well enough to justify what was a decision that frequently annoyed supporters.

While it is true that Mainoo hugely benefitted from Amorim’s exit in January 2026, it is now beyond evident that the problems at the club run much deeper than a manager simply not picking a player.

Old Trafford has been a graveyard for managers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and it is difficult to suggest that anything significant would have changed had Mainoo played more regularly under Amorim.