'Prove yourself': Roy Keane sends blunt message to one Man United star who wants to leave in January

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has delivered a brutally honest message to wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo.

Mainoo has yet to start a Premier League game this season, amassing only 183 minutes across 10 appearances.

His future at Old Trafford is highly uncertain, with the 20-year-old interested in a loan move during this winter transfer window.

Club icons Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand have both urged Mainoo to seek regular football elsewhere this winter, but Keane has taken a very different stance.

The former United captain believes the academy graduate should dig in, embrace adversity and prove manager Ruben Amorim wrong.

He said on The Overlap podcast: “He is 20 years old, what’s wrong with being patient and learning his trade? And even if he doesn’t get his chance, we’ve all had to go through that.

“Sometimes a coach isn’t convinced and you have to prove him wrong. Every day is an opportunity to prove yourself.”

Mainoo’s only start in the 2025-26 campaign came in the embarrassing defeat against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round.

He did register an assist on the night, but it was not enough to prevent United from crashing out against fourth-division opposition.

Keane highlighted that, at elite clubs like United, opportunities can be painfully rare and unforgiving.

He added: “Mainoo only started against Grimsby? And how did that go? Sometimes, it’s the only chance you get, so you have to seize it.

“Were they all rubbish that night? In that case, you make sure to be good because it’s easy to be good in a bad team.”

There is little debate that Mainoo deserves far more game time than Amorim has afforded him this season.

His composure and intelligence on the ball would instantly elevate a United midfield.

However, that cannot be the reason for him to turn his back and look for a challenge elsewhere.

Mainoo has carried himself with maturity and dignity throughout this difficult spell, but now the challenge is to turn promise into authority.

Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes continue to deliver decisive moments in goals and assists.

Mainoo has shown flashes of quality with his tidy passing and sharp movement, but the next step is to impose himself on games in ways that make him impossible to ignore.

Only then will Amorim be left with no option but to keep him in the starting XI.

Stats from Fotmob.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .