Koby Mainu has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester United but is yet to start a Premier League game as his former player sympathizes with his situation.
Dimitar Berbatov has stepped up to defend Koby Mainu, who is going through a “really brutal” period at Manchester United. Coach Ruben Amorim refused to play the young midfielder, who also had his transfer rejected.
Mainu was once considered untouchable at Old Trafford and seemed destined to dictate midfield play for the next decade and beyond. However, he has flourished as a team player under Amorim and has yet to make a start in the Premier League this term.
The United manager preferred a midfield pairing of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, with Mainu watching from the bench. The 20-year-old has had limited opportunities to impress this season and has been left out of the England squad.
There was talk of a loan move to Napoli in the summer, but that was thwarted, but Amorim has kept Maynou’s use to a minimum. Berbatov feels sympathy for the young player, but admitted that he “didn’t see anything usable” in Amorim from the beginning.
He told the Daily Mail: “It’s a very difficult situation, especially for young players, and it shows how football can be a really cruel game sometimes. Because Coby Mainu was playing, he was in the England squad, he was going up and up, and then all of a sudden he’s not being picked.”
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“The question now is: will he be positive, patient and wait for his chance again? Or will he need to move elsewhere to play regularly, regain his confidence and return to United to start playing more regularly?”
“I want to see him play, because the talent is there. That determination, that composure and arrogance that you need with the ball at his feet, even at his age, is there. I like that. But at the moment, the manager hasn’t found something that he can use from the first moment of the game.”
The hype and interest surrounding Mainu, who has been regarded as the best academy product to break into the first team over the years, has seen Amorim regularly asked questions as to why his minutes have been so limited. The United manager is keen to point out how much he still expects from the young player.
Mainu’s CV already boasts a goal in the FA Cup final victory and a start in the last Euro final, but his fortunes have dwindled since Erik ten Hag left Manchester and talk of a sale is growing, especially as he could recoup a profit, especially when it comes to PSR.
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