The aftermath of Ruben Amorim’s dismissal from his managerial role at Manchester United is still unfolding, and it seems not everyone in the squad is lamenting his exit.
Amorim was relieved of his duties as the Red Devils’ head coach on Monday morning, following a series of clashes with the club’s leadership.
According to reports from Daily Mail Sport, his insistence on deploying a formation featuring three central defenders proved to be a sticking point, ultimately leading to his ousting.
Interestingly, a significant portion of the team—nine players, to be exact—remained quiet about the news as of Tuesday morning.
Among those who haven’t commented is Kobbie Mainoo, although the midfielder did express an opinion on social media regarding Amorim’s exit.
Kobbie Mainoo (right) has liked a post on social media mocking Ruben Amorim’s dismissal
He liked this post on Instagram which had a series of memes about the ex-Man United boss
On Instagram, the 20-year-old showed his amusement by liking a post on Monday filled with memes poking fun at Amorim’s departure.
The caption read: ‘I’d be laughing too after getting a £10mil payout.’ That caption correlates with Daily Mail Sport’s report that Amorim was is around £10.05million.
While Mainoo has chosen that ploy, four of Amorim’s last starting XI against Leeds are yet to post.
The quartet in question are goalkeeper Senne Lammens, defender Lisandro Martinez as well as midfield duo Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte.
Of that five, Martinez and Casemiro are the most significant names due to their stature within the squad.
On top of that Lammens was bought by Amorim this season, Yoro has been a first-team regular, while Ugarte has played under the Portuguese at two different clubs – first at Sporting before United.
Aside from the aforementioned four and Mainoo, four other players yet to make a social media post thanking Amorim are goalkeepers Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton, Noussair Mazraoui and Tyrell Malacia.
Although he is yet to feature this season Chido Obi silence can also be seen as telling. After being given his debut by Amorim last term, the 18-year-old has not featured at all this campaign but still caught the ire of Amorim.
United captain Bruno Fernandes was seen looking gloomy as he left Carrington on Monday
Harry Maguire, seen leaving Carrington on Monday, is among those to have thanks Amorim
Benjamin Sesko was signed by Amorim for £73m and is another to wish the Portuguese well
Speaking last month he accused Obi and Harry Amass, who is on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, of not being at the required level to play for the first-team – causing the former duo to hit back with social media digs.
Amorim’s stubbornness with his 3-4-2-1 formation meant previous key personnel under his predecessor Erik ten Hag became jettisoned, such as Marcus Rashford (on loan at Barcelona) and Alejandro Garnacho (sold to Chelsea for £40million).
Mainoo fell victim to that too, sliding down the pecking order with Fernandes preferred in a deeper midfield role instead.
The news of Amorim’s exit saw Mainoo’s sister, Ama, deliver a not-so-subtle dig too at him.
Taking to Instagram, she posted a story featuring an image of a woman wearing a broad grin, seemingly reflecting the mood among the Mainoo family.
The woman in the picture is American rapper Yung Miami, with the post appearing to be a light-hearted but pointed reaction to the news.
Ama is a passionate supporter of her brother’s career, having posted pictures on her social media channels in the past of herself with his No 37 shirt.
Tensions have spilled into public view in recent weeks, with Mainoo’s brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames pictured at Old Trafford wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ in December.
Mainoo’s sister, Ama, shared this meme on her Instagram story reacting to Amorim’s sacking
Ama Mainoo, meanwhile, appears to be a passionate supporter of her brother’s career, having posted pictures on her social media channels in the past of herself with his No 37 shirt
Kobbie Mainoo’s half-brother, Jordan, wore a shirt reading ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ last month
Amorim responded by criticising United’s young players for having a sense of ‘entitlement’, although stopped short of blaming Mainoo for his brother’s actions.
‘I think it is the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club,’ said Amorim. ‘Sometimes strong words is not bad words. Sometimes difficult moments is not a bad thing for the kids. We don’t need to be always with accolades in everything, in every situation. We are not helping.
‘Nowadays they speak and go against the club because they feel entitlement, and then we have legends of the club say, ‘if you don’t play, leave, because everyone is wrong’.’
He added: ‘It was not Kobbie who wore the T-shirt. He is not going to start because of the T-shirt, or go to the bench because of it. He is going to play if he is the right player to play.’
Amorim also told Mainoo that he wouldn’t be allowed to leave in loan this January transfer window, saying that he was the ‘future of Manchester United’.
As it turned out, Mainoo missed the chance to replace the injured Bruno Fernandes for United’s most recent fixtures, pulling up with a calf issue ahead of last month’s defeat to Aston Villa. He has been unable to make the squad since.
With United’s Under 18s head coach Darren Fletcher set to take over from Amorim and is expected to play a 4-3-3 system, it could mean more game time and a change in fortunes for the young midfielder.
