Alejandro Garnacho’s older brother played a central role in the saga that led to his troubled summer departure, and it is not the first time the family has been involved in United matters.
Towards the end of the winger’s final season at Old Trafford, his older brother Roberto criticized Amorim on social media, accusing the Red Devils manager of throwing Garnacho under the bus after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.
He writes: “He worked harder than everyone else, helped every round, scored two goals in the last two finals… He was on the pitch for just 19 minutes and got crushed under a bus.”
The circumstances that led to Garnacho’s sending off were almost identical to Mainu’s. Like his former teammate. He is clearly unhappy with his playing time and risks worsening the situation if his brother continues to fight for him.
The tactic appears to have been successful, given that Garnacho ultimately got his way by securing a move to Chelsea. Mainou may be hoping a similar approach will help him orchestrate a move in January, with Napoli also thought to be interested.
The midfielder had his loan move rejected from Old Trafford in the summer, but is still thought to be keen to leave United next month. Perhaps he feels that making a fuss is the best way to push Amorim out of his way and get what he wants.
It is unclear whether Mainu was involved in his brother’s decision to wear this shirt or whether he decided to wear it of his own free will. Either way, it’s not a great situation for United.
Giving in to the player’s power makes them look weak and tells the rest of the team that throwing toys from the stroller is a successful way to undermine authority and get their way.
The situation risks turning into a farce and Amorim needs to take control before they get dragged into another unnecessary drama, but that should be avoided as United aim to return to the upper echelons of the Premier League.
Amorim has already invited Mainu to talk about his grievances, saying before Monday’s game: “If Koby comes to me and talks to me, I will talk to him.”
“I’m not going to say anything to Koby, but I would be really happy if he could come and talk to me about it. I just want the players to be happy and I understand that each player has their own goals.”
