Kobbie Mainoo isn't one for big outbursts of emotion, so much so that when he waved his arms to pump up the crowd while being substituted during Euro 2024, he got a bit of light teasing from his England teammates in the dressing room afterwards.
The general gist of the jokes was: "What's got into you?"
For many of the coaches who have worked with Mainoo over the course of his career, it's his calmness on and off that pitch that has set him apart. It tells you, then, that his decision to ask Manchester United for a loan move in the final days of the transfer window was not one taken lightly.
Mainoo and his representatives pushed to speak to Ruben Amorim and director of football Jason Wilcox because of concerns that a lack of playing time is stunting his development and risking his place at next summer's World Cup. Injuries have certainly been a factor, but since Amorim's appointment in November, the 20-year-old midfielder has started just 12 of United's 30 Premier League games. So far this season, he's been limited to 90 minutes in the shock Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby Town and 45 minutes against Burnley. There was little surprise that when Thomas Tuchel named his latest England squad last week, there was no place for the 20-year-old.
A little over 12 months ago, Mainoo was seen as the future for both United and England. Now on the fringes for both club and country, he's facing the first crossroads moment of his promising career.
Kobbie's rise and Mainoo-mania
The world began to wake up to Mainoo in February of 2023, when cameras caught then-manager Erik ten Hag taking time out of the post-Carabao Cup final celebrations following victory over rivals Manchester City to have a quiet word with the relatively unknown teenager.
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Mainoo made his senior debut as a 17-year-old the previous January and at Wembley, Ten Hag was busy telling him that even though he did not make the bench for the 2-0 win over Newcastle, "his time would come."
The Dutchman was right. In July, Mainoo starred in a preseason friendly against Arsenal in New York. In November, he made his Premier League debut against Everton at Goodison Park and was named man-of-the-match. By December, he was a regular in the team and from Boxing Day 2023 until the FA Cup final against Manchester City in May 2024, he only failed to start one of United's 26 games.
During the run, Mainoo scored memorable goals against Wolves -- netting a stoppage-time winner after a mazy run -- and against Liverpool, which came via a spectacular touch and curled finish inside the far post. He topped it all off with a goal against City in the cup final to cap a performance which helped convince England boss Gareth Southgate that he had to be in the squad for the Euros despite only receiving his first Under-21 call-up in March.
For many at United it was the realisation of what they had always predicted.
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At the club from the age of nine, Mainoo was a regular for the Under-18s at just 16. He was the second-youngest member of the team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2022, a group also including Alejandro Garnacho. In the summer of 2023, midfielders Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal -- both older and, in theory, more experienced -- were allowed to leave in part because Mainoo was already ahead in his development. There was even a point at which United had to fight hard to keep Mainoo out of the grasp of Manchester City during their push to sweep up the best young players in the area.
United made improvements to their youth structure, and the fact that Mainoo stayed was held up as proof that the revamp was working. Having broken into the first team and the England set-up, he's an academy success story.
On the 2024 preseason tour, Tom Heaton -- another United academy graduate and England coach at Euro 2024 -- told ESPN that Mainoo "would be a massive part of this football club for a long period of time." It was unthinkable, then, that a year later there would be serious questions about how long he might stay.
Out of favour under Amorim
Mainoo started two of Amorim's first four league games as the Portuguese coach took time to have a closer look at every player he inherited from Ten Hag. Since then, though he's mostly been frozen out.
Part of the problem is Amorim's 3-4-3 system and where Mainoo fits in. He's been tried as one of two deeper midfielders and as a No.10. He's also played as a false nine. It was telling that towards the end of last season, Mainoo didn't start one of United's Europa League knockout games. In the final against Tottenham, he was thrown on for the last minute.
Sources tell ESPN that Mainoo first started having concerns about his United future as early as January. He sought advice from one former player after stories emerged that the club would be open to offers for both him and Garnacho in the January window because moving on an academy graduate would help their PSR position. But it was only towards the end of the summer window that he became so worried about a lack of game time that he requested a move.
Sources close to Mainoo have rejected suggestions he asked to leave permanently and insist he was only seeking a temporary move that could help force his way back into Tuchel's England thinking. A loan move to Napoli was mapped out and United said no, though there's a possibility it could be resurrected in January if Mainoo's situation hasn't changed. United would need a replacement, which is always tough to do mid-season.
All this uncertainty is being played out against a backdrop of a contract stand-off.
Mainoo signed a new deal in 2023 that ties him to Old Trafford until 2027, with a club-held option to extend until 2028. There were initial talks after Euro 2024 to discuss a salary increase to reflect his increased status after the tournament in Germany. However, those negotiations have stalled with the new regime -- led by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe -- keeping a close eye on the wage bill.
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Long United record in danger
Mainoo's situation has prompted wider questions about United's academy.
For more than 85 years, the club have had at least one academy graduate in the matchday squad for every single senior game, a run of over 4,300 matches dating back to October, 1937. When United celebrated the 4,000th game against Everton in December of 2019, there were seven academy graduates in the squad -- Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood, Axel Tuanzebe, Andreas Pereira and Brandon Williams. For the 3-2 win over Burnley just before the international break, it was just Mainoo flying the flag.
Every United manager is told during the interview process that the job is to "win trophies, play attacking football and to promote players from the academy." Amorim could perhaps face a backlash from fans if he was the manager to let the record slip, though he might argue that Profit & Sustainability (PSR) rules, which incentivise teams moving on their homegrown players, have reduced his options: Dean Henderson, Scott McTominay, Anthony Elanga and Alvaro Fernandez Carreras might all be in the first-team squad had they not left before his appointment.
Still, while Amorim battles to improve his record after a difficult start to his reign, he won't want to become the first manager in nearly nine decades to pick a squad without an academy player. If Mainoo departs, he could take a piece of United's history with him.