Whether it’s Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte or Unai Emery, the first port of call for the new Manchester United manager should be to select a new captain.
Bruno Fernandes can’t continue, both on the basis of him being a whining, snivelling little snake in the grass and him almost certainly not being at the club beyond this season; perhaps not past the January transfer window.
The new boss needs someone who can drive standards, lift spirits in the tough times, keep teammates grounded in the good moments, maintain a positive atmosphere in the dressing room and act as a bridge between the players, the coaching staff and the higher-ups.
They’re not exactly spoilt for choice.
Ruben Amorim established a six-man leadership group when he arrived at Old Trafford almost exactly two years ago. Third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton might have the best chance of surviving beyond the current campaign out of a miserable sextet of Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui.
Kobbie Mainoo was conspicuous by his absence, even then at the age of 19, as an academy star who hit the ground running in a breakout 2023/24 season, which featured a goal in the FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City, before he excelled for England at Euro 2024.
It became abundantly clear why Amorim hadn’t selected Mainoo as one of his leaders across the following inexplicable 14 months of inaction for the midfielder, who was immediately drafted back into the team upon Michael Carrick’s arrival.
“I’m very grateful to the boss for putting the trust in me as soon as he came in, putting that belief in me and giving me all the advice that he has,” Mainoo told the official Manchester United website on Monday.
“Knowing he’s a player who’s been at this club and knows the history of this club and knows what it takes to win, I take those words to heart and I try and apply them every day in training and in games.”
An interview with the beloved academy graduate was a wise move from the Red Devils media department in what has arguably been the worst of the worst times at Manchester United. Mainoo is about the only player they could have turned to that wouldn’t have further riled a fanbase at breaking point.
Any new manager should be considering Mainoo as their new captain for that reason alone.
“United’s a huge club, so I think a lot of people know the values that this club holds and that have been passed down through the people who’ve worked and played here,” Mainoo continued.
“I feel like I take some responsibility in that and in spreading the word of what is Manchester United, coming up through the academy. I plan to send that message for hopefully as long as I can.
“I’ve tried to take on more responsibility in the team. I want to impose myself more in games and they’ve definitely helped to do that, giving me more responsibility with taking the ball. There have been ups and downs, but I have to have belief in myself even in these tough times.
“I feel like in every period of my career so far, I’ve tried to take positives from them. Even, you know, times that I’m not playing I’ve learned things and I’m still applying them to this day.”
It’s almost as if he’s making a play for the captaincy. He’s “taking responsibility” and labouring over that all-important Manchester United DNA; the key difference between his genetics and those of ‘knows the club’ managers Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being that Mainoo has already proven beyond doubt that he’s good enough for the club.
He’s already showed his commitment and love for Man Utd by not pushing for the exit in what must have been a horribly difficult time under Amorim, insisting on a loan move if the worst came to the worst so that he could return to his boyhood club.
“I feel like our way to repay that is to also be behind the manager on the pitch and off it, and fight for us as a team,” Mainoo added.
“In these tough times you can’t expect the fans 100,000 per cent of the time to be happy and cheering when we’re not putting out results, you know. We owe it to them to put the results out there for them to cheer again.
“Of course, it’s been a tough season. We’ve not had the results we’ve wanted, but you know we need to look forward now. There are big, big games ahead and I feel like we’re one win away from changing that.
“I’ve been at this club for a long time and I know there’s always going to be ups and downs. It’s never going to be plain sailing and smooth to the top. So you expect bumps and the best thing about them is you’re able to bounce back from them.”
He’s still only 21 but that could just as easily be seen as a positive. And yes, he’s the only real option. But to look on the bright side, Manchester United and the next manager of this once great football club are in a way very fortunate that the only option both plays and talks like someone worthy of the armband.
