Man United midfielder Koby Mainu was “discovered” under Ruben Amorim, according to former Liverpool defender Steve Nicholl.
The Red Devils had a terrible season in 2024-25, with Amorim leading the team to 15th place in the Premier League table and losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final.
Manchester United have no European competition to focus on this term, having already been eliminated from the League Cup by League Two side Grimsby Town.
The loss to Grimsby was Mainu’s only start in all competitions this season, with him coming off the bench in the remaining five Premier League games.
Amorim has irritated Man United’s hierarchy this season by publicly admitting that Mainu is competing with captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the starting XI.
Mainu knew it would be virtually impossible to remove Fernandes from the lineup, so he requested a loan move on the final day of the summer transfer window.
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Jason Wilcox has persuaded the England player to stay, but Mainoo is likely to ask him to play in January, with the 2026 World Cup just around the corner.
Liverpool legend Nicol believes Mainu was ‘discovered’ under Amorim and believes the Manchester United midfielder needs to improve defensively.
Nicol told ESPN: “In my opinion, Mainu is great when he has the ball at his feet, but not good enough when the opponent has the ball.
“In fact, he hasn’t done anything. He doesn’t stop people putting Man Utd into a back four. And the fact that that’s one of the biggest problems United have, and this guy still hasn’t figured it out.”
“I think basically he was discovered, because at the end of the day if you want to play for a top club and be challenging, players have to contribute on both sides of the ball.
“And if there’s one thing Mainu doesn’t do, it’s contribute defensively.
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“The fact that Casemiro is starting him over consistently shows that there are problems and that he’s not as good as we thought he was when he first came on the scene.”
When asked if Amorim could help improve those aspects of Mainu’s game, Nicol added:
“A coach who has a player who isn’t giving his or her best, when it comes to having to play someone else, that player gets kicked out.
“If you’re a United coach and you keep watching Mainu run people away and you act like you don’t really care about it, you’re going to be at the bottom of the pile.”
Manchester United manager Amorim said of Mainu last month:
“I have a lot of faith in Koby, but there are some people who think Koby Mainu is finished. I think he can be better. He can improve in many ways. He can improve more.”
“And sometimes I think for some players (his current level of play) is enough. For him, it’s just not enough. Maybe it’s unfair, but I think I’m helping Koby Mainu and that’s it.”
“He will have the same chance as any other player. If he feels during this week that he is the best player to play, he will play and he has already proven that to all the players here.”
“I have a lot of faith in him. I have the same (opinion) as you, which is a top, top player. But he can be even better, so that’s what I’m focused on.”
