Former England striker Gary Lineker is “really worried” about the future of Man Utd midfielder Kobbie Mainoo after being “dismissed” by Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils lost the Manchester Derby 3-0 to Man City on Sunday with Phil Foden scoring in the first half to give Pep Guardiola’s side the lead before Erling Haaland added two more after the break.
Man Utd now have just four points from their opening four Premier League matches of the season, reminiscent of the form they showed in their last campaign.
Amorim is coming under a lot of pressure to improve performances and one of the biggest recent criticism of the Man Utd boss is his treatment of Mainoo.
The Portuguese head coach publicly suggested that Mainoo would be competing with captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the side this season, which led to the England international seeking a move away at the end of the transfer window.
That annoyed the Man Utd hierarchy and a report last week claimed that the Red Devils hierarchy are ‘wanting Amorim to tone down his emotional public outbursts’.
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Mainoo has only played 73 minutes of Premier League football this season with his one start coming in the League Cup defeat to Grimsby Town.
After watching Mainoo come off the bench against Man City in the Manchester Derby on Sunday, Lineker has admitted that he is worried about the England international’s future.
Lineker told The Rest is Football podcast: “It really worries me the way that Kobbie Mainoo has almost been dismissed.
“He’s such an incredible young talent, a local boy doing really well.
“I thought when he came on he did quite well. I don’t get it.
“I don’t know whether there’s something we don’t know about but it’s slightly baffling to me.”
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Tottenham showed their interest in Mainoo in the summer transfer window and Flashscore insist that Spurs are ‘continuing to monitor the situation’ of the Man Utd youngster ‘as uncertainty lingers over his long-term future at Old Trafford’.
The report adds: ‘Sources indicate that they remain extremely keen and see Mainoo as a player who ticks a number of boxes for the profile of midfielder they want to add to their squad.
‘Spurs are building towards an ambitious 2026 and believe their project would prove appealing if the player decides to consider his options.’
And ‘there is every chance this saga will gather momentum in the months ahead’ if Amorim continues to bench Mainoo with the Man Utd midfielder looking for game time in order to make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup.
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