Ruben Amorim Drops Kobbie Mainoo Bombshell Hours Before Man Utd vs Newcastle

Kobbie Mainoo is "the future" of Manchester United, according to Ruben Amorim, who has made some telling comments about the midfielder ahead of Friday's Premier League clash against Newcastle.

The England international has not started a game for United since their Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Grimsby Town in August.

In fact, the 20-year-old has played less than 300 minutes across all competitions during the 2025-26 campaign, something that seemed almost unimaginable 12 months ago, when he was a regular starter at Old Trafford.

A lack of first-team football has sparked rumours of a temporary exit, although Ruben Amorim may have poured cold water over that prospect ahead of their Boxing Day clash against Newcastle.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Amorim was full of praise for Mainoo and his ability to provide cover for the likes of Casemiro.

"Kobbie Mainoo [has] played in different positions," said Amorim. "He can do [Casemiro's] position. He can play if we play with three, he can play like we play in the last game [at Aston Villa]. The position of Mason Mount in that game, he can play there."

Amorim added: "He is going is going to be the future of Manchester United. That is my feeling. He just needs to wait for his chance. In football, everything can change in two days."

Mainoo has been linked with a loan move to Serie A side Napoli, where he would join up with former teammates Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund.

But based on Amorim's latest comments, the midfielder could stay at Old Trafford for the remainder of the 2025-26 season as he played down any outgoings unless reinforcements are made first.

"It's going to be hard for someone to leave the club if we don't get a substitution," he said. "We are short. Even with the full squad, we are short for something that can happen."

"We are a club with a big responsibility," Amorim added. "We are dealing with all these issues and in [the media's] heads, in my head, in everybody's head, we need to win every game. It doesn't matter. There are no excuses."

As mentioned by Amorim, United must contend with a number of issues, including a growing injury list that includes Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire.

Amad, Noussair Mazraoui and Bryan Mbuemo are also absent because of AFCON duty, but that has presented opportunities to youngsters Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey, who both made their senior debuts against Aston Villa on Sunday.

"We are struggling in this moment, but the club has a plan, and we are going to stick with the plan," said Amorim.

Mainoo has struggled for first-team minutes this season. Image credit: Getty

He added: "If we have the opportunity to bring a player [in] that we think is going to be the future of the club, [he] is going to come. If not, we have Jack [Fletcher], we have Shea [Lacey] - in three weeks we'll have Amad, Noussair and Bryan, and the return of Bruno and Kobbie Mainoo."

Thoughts on Mainoo's future? Let us know in the comments.