Winners and losers from Man Utd's decision to sack Ruben Amorim: Clean slate for Kobbie Mainoo, but Mason Mount & Amad Diallo in real danger of losing starting roles

Kobbie Mainoo will not look back on 2025 with any fondness. The United academy graduate only started eight Premier League games, all in the second half of last season, and had been reduced to a bit-part role under Amorim this term, despite the team's struggles for consistency.

With Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes serving as the first-choice holding midfield duo, Mainoo has had to make do with cameo appearances, often in the final 20 minutes, leaving him little chance to make any meaningful impact. That led to a backlash from the United faithful (including his brother) and England fans hoping to see Mainoo at next summer's World Cup, but Amorim refused to bow to public opinion.

"I've seen the training, if it's the best thing for the team, I will put [him in]," Amorim said in December. "I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie, he starts for England. But that doesn't mean that I need to put Kobbie [in] when I feel that I shouldn't."

As a consequence, Mainoo has been strongly linked with a January loan move to Napoli, where his former team-mates Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund are flying, but it would be a major shock if he were to leave now. The 20-year-old will likely start with a clean slate when the next manager comes in, and it's safe to say they won't be wed to a 3-4-3, so he should be thrust straight back into regular action, once he recovers from a calf injury.

It's been a real shame to see Mainoo's development stall given his immense talent, but we can expect a swift resurgence because he will have a point to prove after outlasting Amorim.

Mason Mount is one of the few players who made any significant improvement at United on Amorim's watch, after a miserable, injury-plagued start to his Old Trafford career. The former Chelsea man regained full fitness at the back end of last season and has made 16 appearances for the Red Devils to date in 2025-26, registering four goal contributions, with his standout display coming in the 4-1 win at Wolves on December 8.

Mount scored United's third goal and was deservedly given the Player of the Match award for his industry in the final third, with Amorim heaping praise on him after the final whistle: "He can defend, he can attack, the quality when he touches the ball is really good, so it's not a surprise for me. It's a guy that leads by the example. It doesn't matter the situation, Mason Mount is always the same thing - training, talking, dealing with people around Carrington. That is not easy, so he's a very, very good player."

Amorim always insisted that Mount was the ideal fit for his system, with two No.10 slots available, but he barely got a look-in under the previous boss, Erik ten Hag, who deployed traditional wingers. The 26-year-old could find himself back to square one again in a more expansive set-up, with the main roles on the flanks likely to go to summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

Mount is versatile enough to operate in a deeper midfield role, but it's not his forte, and it has been reported that part of the pitch will be bolstered in the summer. As a squad player, he still has plenty to offer, but it's difficult to see Mount ever reaching the heights he did at Chelsea again if he stays at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes has been United's best player this season, as he was in each of his previous six campaigns in Manchester. But the club captain's exploits over the past five months have been especially remarkable because he's been playing out of position.

To accommodate Cunha and Mbeumo, Amorim shifted Fernandes into a No.6 berth, where he has still delivered a combined 12 goals and assists in 17 Premier League games, more than any other United player in 2025-26. Despite playing in front of the defence, the Portugal international has the third-highest expected assist (xA) total in the division (4.1), and ranks first for key passes with 51, 15 more than his nearest challengers Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.

Fernandes is also in the top 10 for ball recoveries, which shows he has put in the defensive work required for his new position. It's a superhuman effort, which goes some way to explaining why he suffered a rare hamstring injury against Aston Villa that has kept him out of United's last three fixtures.

But it made no sense for United's greatest source of creativity to be shouldering so much responsibility at both ends. Fernandes is, and always has been, a natural No.10 who causes the most damage when he's close to goal. That is where he will be restored when the post-Amorim era begins, and the Red Devils will be much better for it.

Amorim also forced Amad Diallo to adapt to an unnatural role, at right-wing back, and like Fernandes, he fared admirably. The Ivory Coast international has chipped in with five Premier League goal involvements this term and forged a deadly partnership with Mbeumo, constantly switching positions with the ex-Brentford star to get in behind defences.

Amad has also put in a lot of hard work off the ball, but that only stretches so far given his attack-minded tendencies and slight physical frame. The 23-year-old has been frequently caught too high up the pitch when the ball is turned over and United have conceded a lot of goals at the far post because he's not strong or tall enough to compete for crosses.

But at least he was playing. That might not be the case now that Amorim's baffling tactical blueprint is likely to be ditched for one that includes a back four. A reversion to the 4-2-3-1 shape Ten Hag favoured seems most obvious, which would see Benjamin Sesko, Fernandes, Cunha and Mbeumo complete United's front four, and Casemiro and Mainoo pair up in the double pivot.

Amad will be praying that the new coaching regime goes for a 4-3-3 instead, which might see him deployed behind Mbeumo once again. But in that instance, a midfield three containing a combination of Fernandes, Casemiro, Mainoo, Mount and Manuel Ugarte would give United a better balance, and generating more clean sheets has to be a priority given the team only recorded two across their last 20 Premier League games.

It's an unfair situation for Amad, who has been up there with Fernandes as United's most reliable performer in recent years, but when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations, it may only be to a seat on the bench.

Ratcliffe and the INEOS group deserve all the criticism that comes their way after Amorim's turbulent reign. The Portuguese was the new United regime's first appointment after they were given control of footballing operations by the Glazer family, and they had tunnel vision after finally deciding to dismiss Ten Hag in October 2024, despite reports that Liverpool and West Ham both passed on Amorim due to concerns over how he would adjust to the Premier League.

Dan Ashworth also had his doubts. United welcomed Ashworth to the club that July after a lengthy gardening leave period at Newcastle, with Ratcliffe hailing him as "one of the best sporting directors in the world", but he left after just five months, and the head coach issue was one of the main reasons for his exit.

According to The Athletic, Ashworth put forward Eddie Howe, Marco Silva, Thomas Frank and Graham Potter as potential replacements for Ten Hag, but Ratcliffe urged him to look beyond people he knew and wanted a more 'dynamic' appointment. United CEO Omar Berrada pushed for Amorim and Ratcliffe took an instant liking to the former Benfica midfielder in initial meetings, eventually signing off on his arrival.

That's despite Ashworth expressing doubts over whether Amorim's rigid 3-4-3 formation would aid the club's long-term recruitment strategy, as reported by The Guardian. He knew that United didn't have the players to fit that set-up or the financial means to overhaul the squad overnight due to mounting debts. 

Ratcliffe, with the support of Berrada, Wilcox (who was technical director at the time) and INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, overruled Ashworth, and he was eventually forced out for not being on the same page as the rest of the top brass. If Ratcliffe had listened to the former Newcastle guru, maybe United wouldn't be in the mess they're in now.

Should United indeed shift to a system with four defenders, it will spell the end for Harry Maguire. The England international can play as a right or left-sided centre-back, but at 32, his best years are behind him, and persistent injuries are starting to take their toll.

Maguire has been out since early November due to a thigh issue, and faces an uphill task to win his place back once he's fully recovered. Lisandro Martinez has slotted back into the team seamlessly after returning from his own long-term injury, and is the best option on the left, not least because he already has a good rapport with veteran full-back Luke Shaw.

For the time being, one of the two emerging youngsters, Ayden Heaven or Leny Yoro will get the nod on the right, with Matthijis de Ligt in the treatment room with a back problem and Noussair Mazraoui competing in the latter stages of the AFCON with Morocco. But when everyone is fit, it should be De Ligt who partners Martinez.

De Ligt, who only turned 26 in August, looked to have recaptured the form of his Ajax years in the early weeks of the season, with United legend Nemanja Matic describing him as the best defender at the club in a recent interview with CBS Sports. The former Bayern Munich and Juventus ace is only just entering his prime, and should be a staple at Old Trafford in the coming years, provided he can avoid any further misfortune with injuries.

The same cannot be said for Maguire. It's been admirable to see him silence his critics in recent seasons to become something of a cult hero among supporters, with a long list of important, and often dramatic goals added to his CV. But the ex-Leicester City man isn't mobile enough to play week in, week out in the heart of the United defence anymore. Maguire's contract is up next summer and it would be a huge surprise if he is handed another extension, not because he's suddenly become a bad player, but because his cycle at the club is approaching its natural end.