'Free Kobbie Mainoo!' - Man Utd midfielder at risk of new rift with Ruben Amorim after brother wears eye-catching t-shirt during 4-4 draw with Bournemouth

Mainoo was left out of the starting line-up for the 16th Premier League game this season although he got a raucous reception when he came off the bench at Old Trafford. And among the crowd was his half brother, who has 681,000 followers on Instagram and had his moment of fame when he appeared on British reality television show Love Island.

The t-shirt risks further inflaming the conflict between Amorim and Mainoo, who has asked to leave on loan in the January transfer window amid his lack of opportunities at United. And Red Devils supporters were not happy with Mainoo-Hames for his attention-seeking act. 

@onelovemufc wrote: "Grow the f*** up! These are the kind of melts whispering in his ear leave the kid alone! Played well tonight doesn’t need people like this making matters worse."

"Absolutely pathetic," added @ItsLuweeze

Several users drew comparisons with Alejandro Garnacho's younger brother Roberto, who made a series of social media posts calling out both Amorim and his predecessor Erik ten Hag. Most infamously, he launched a tirade against Amorim after leaving the winger out of the starting line-up for the Europa League final. Garnacho also spoke out against the coach following the defeat by Tottenham in the final in Bilbao, leading Amorim to kick him out of the team and paving the way for his eventual sale to Chelsea.

@therin86 wrote on X: "How's that gonna help Kobbie? He needs to have a word with his brother or else we're gonna end up in a Garnacho situation."

@paulthomas1988 added: "Surely not? Do we have another Garnacho situation with his brother."

Mainoo could get his first start of the Premier League season in United's next game at Aston Villa on Sunday as Casemiro is suspended after getting booked against Bournemouth. He should also get more opportunities in the team now that Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo are away at the African Cup of Nations. He will have to make the most of these chances because United are reportedly set to reject his request to leave on loan.

Speaking before the Bournemouth game, Amorim encouraged Mainoo to come and speak to him about his desire to leave. "If Kobbie comes to me and talks to me, I will talk to him," he said. "I'm not going to say what I'm going to say to Kobbie, but I will be really pleased if Kobbie is coming to talk to me about that. I just want my players [to be] happy and understand that every individual has their goals. The frustration doesn't help anybody."

He added: "The problem is we are playing with two [in midfield] and you guys see Kobbie in a different way than I'm seeing. Maybe if you play with three midfielders, not with just two, Kobbie will have more minutes. Imagine that this happens. Someone in front is going to lose their spot. Sometimes it's just the moment. I think I proved that if you change my mind [you can get into the team]. Casemiro is the biggest example. He was behind Toby [Collyer] and now he is a starter. 

"The door is open for any player to change my mind. But in the end, it's going to be the training, the games. Of course, he's not playing so many games, but Kobbs, he had opportunities, especially last year. I just look at the team and try to win the next game. I will do that until the end.

"Kobbs is one more player but I understand all the interest in him. I understand how important it is. The hopes that you guys and English guys have. I also just want to win. If he's the right guy, I will put him in. No problem."