Manchester United and Newcastle meet today at the Premier League, the only match during Boxing Day (but there are many more games the weekend as usual) and it could be an important match for Kobbie Mainoo, a young Manchester United graduate and 20-year-old English international who has been mostly left out from Ruben Amorim's team, but can benefit from Bruno Fernandes' injury.
The Portuguese player got injured during last Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, due to a hamstring problem that could keep him out of the game for a month. Amorim said of his compatriot that he is "impossible to replace", and as one of his most trusted players, he has started in all 17 league games for United this season.
But the truth is that now somebody has to take his place, at least for a month, and some expect it will be now. Aimoo has not been part of the starting line-up under Amorim for Premier League since May 2025, a 2-0 defeat to West Ham. Amorim said of him that he will be "the future of Manchester United, "that is my feeling, he just needs to wait for his chance and everything can change in football in two days" (via SkySports).
This also puts a drastic stop to rumours that Mainoo would leave the team as a loan in January. The 20-year-old had attracted interest from Europe, but Amorim says that the team is already short on players: "If we are not getting someone, it's hard to [let Mainoo leave]. Even with a full squad, we are shorter with something that can happen here."
"A few days before [his injury], we were talking about Kobbie doesn't have the minutes he deserves or needs". Do you think Kobbie Mainoo will get his chance to shine this month without Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United?