Casemiro Takes Swipe at Amorim's Mainoo Snub as Carrick Reaps Rewards

Casemiro has taken a veiled swipe at Ruben Amorim's management by lavishing praise on Kobbie Mainoo, insisting the 20-year-old represents both the present and future of Manchester United.

Amorim's tenure at Old Trafford ended in January after just over a year of mounting criticism. The Portuguese manager departed with a record of 25 victories from 63 matches, leaving the club in need of a fresh direction.

Michael Carrick's arrival as interim boss has sparked a dramatic turnaround. The former United midfielder has overseen an impressive run of seven wins and just one defeat across ten games, propelling the Red Devils into third place and positioning them firmly for Champions League football next season.

Mainoo has emerged as one of the standout beneficiaries of the managerial change. The England international has featured in all but 14 minutes under Carrick, remarkably accumulating nearly as many Premier League starts in recent weeks as he managed across 14 months under Amorim.

Casemiro, who has partnered Mainoo in midfield for all ten of Carrick's games, offered a pointed assessment of the young playmaker's quality and potential. Speaking in a United Q&A, the Brazilian midfielder declared: "Kobbie is the present and the future. I think that he is one of the best No.8s and can be for that for the next 12 years."

The midfielder elaborated on what makes Mainoo special, highlighting his mentality and hunger. "He is a player I really like. He always wants the ball. It is true that football can't change your mentality but Kobbie demonstrated that he hasn't changed his focus once," Casemiro explained.

"He has to continue focusing like he is now and continue playing the important role he is now. But what a player he is, he is a great player. He has demonstrated this, in the Euros final with England, he has demonstrated it in finals, he scored in the FA Cup."

Carrick has similarly championed Mainoo since taking charge, suggesting the decision to play him regularly was straightforward. "I've known Kobbie a long time. I started working with him when I think he was 13 or 14, when I was starting to do my coaching badges – a good few years ago," Carrick told BBC Sport.

"So I think knowing him and having experience with him and seeing him perform at such a level on such big occasions… it wasn't really a big decision to play him. He's got huge talent."

The interim manager acknowledged the challenges facing any player stepping back into regular action after limited opportunities, but has opted to give Mainoo space to rediscover his rhythm. "It's not easy when you haven't played to find your rhythm and find your form," Carrick noted.

"There are things he can get better at, things he can improve on, but we haven't really got started on any of that because we're just letting him go and find his flow and find his rhythm of playing football again. I've been really conscious of not giving him an awful lot – a couple of little pointers, a bit of positional things and some little bits here and there – but trust in what he is. He's a fantastic footballer and he's got a huge talent."