Kobbie Mainoo: How Carrick got midfield wonderkid firing vs City

It came as a huge shock for Manchester United fans and the hierarchy when Ruben Amorim declared Kobbie Mainoo was simply not good enough for his system.

The Englishman was placed behind Bruno Fernandes in the pecking order , which meant he earned zero starts in the Premier League under the Portuguese.

As a result, the Carrington graduate was desperate to leave in search of regular minutes as he looked to earn a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

INEOS blocked his summer exit , and they were ready to do the same in January, but Amorim got himself sacked.

And Michael Carrick immediately reinstated him into the starting lineup for the Manchester derby, and the England international shone on his first league start.

United thrashed their noisy neighbours 2-0, and the scoreline could have been even more emphatic if not for marginal offside calls and the post.

Kobbie Mainoo completed 100 percent of his long balls, while managing to find a teammate with 91 percent of his passes.

Without the ball, the 20-year-old was equally effective, making eight defensive contributions (all stats via sofascore ).

The caretaker head coach was full of praise for the Stockport-born ace. “Yeah, I thought Kobbie was great in there alongside Case. I thought it gave us a strong foundation really with Licha and Harry.”

Popular social media account Sully , known for his inside information on United, revealed how Carrick got Mainoo firing for the clash against Manchester City.

– Saturday, 17 January 2026

“Michael Carrick internally expressed to Kobbie Mainoo this week how highly talented of a player he is but he feels he can still grow.

“There were moments in training where he pulled him to the side and talked to him about how he can improve,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter ).

Finally, the midfield wonderkid has a coach who trusts him again and that showed. At his stage, having an arm around his shoulders can provide a huge lift under trying circumstances.

Training and learning under the legendary midfielder can only be a good thing for the United No.37. Now for him to keep on improving as the Red Devils seek to qualify for the Champions League.

Feature image George Wood via Getty Images

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