Manchester United have just two injury concerns right now, and they’re both in the back line- Lisandro Martinez (knee) and Noussair Mazraoui (thigh). The situation is the same as it was entering the score draw with Fulham yesterday. Lucha won’t be in the squad for Wednesday, but Mazraoui might have a chance of being passed fit. What’s ultimately more interesting, with MUFC, is the situation surrounding the healthy, but at the same time benched players. Kobbie Mainoo is one such example.
Arguably the team’s best player in 2023-24, he still has not seen a minute of playing time in 2025-26. Just what is going on here?
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Manchester United at Grimsby Town
Kick: Wednesday. Aug. 27, 2025, 8pm
Blundell Park, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, UK
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For him to be behind Manuel Ugarte is one thing, but he’s also been surpassed by Mason Mount, who many would consider a flop, and even Casemiro, a player that a lot of United fans wish to not be on the team anymore.
United manager Ruben Amorim says that Mainoo is competing directly with Bruno Fernandes, the team captain, for a place in the squad.
“He is fighting for the position now with Bruno,” Amorim said yesterday, after United put in a pedestrian performance at Fulham, ending their run of victories at Craven Cottage.
“I changed two midfielders. I like Mason Mount there because we want to score a goal. And then when I changed it, I felt that the team needed to return to one holding midfielder.
“So he just needs to fight for the position with Bruno in training. Like it should be at Manchester United.”
Mainoo is just not going to win a position battle over Bruno- that’s simply not happening. And while yes, the England international battled a lot of injuries last season, his fall down the depth chart is truly stunning.
In addition to the Mainoo situation, United fans also saw some eye-opening team selection developments at the striker and goalkeeper positions. The goalkeeper dilemma will only get more complicated if/when Senne Lammens arrives.
We covered both position groups yesterday, and we’ll get into them again in the next post, where we make our first team prediction.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter