FREE THE KOBBIE ONE

Now it's time for Mainoo to roll up his sleeves and prove his worth once and for all

- BY ANDY DUNN

PERHAPS Casemiro had an early sight of the T-shirt worn by Kobbie Mainoo's brother and deliberately got himself booked against Bournemouth.

Or perhaps the seasoned Brazilian midfielder just fancied a couple of days off before Christmas. The old trick.

Either way, Casemiro's yellow card on Monday night, making him unavailable for Sunday's trip to Aston Villa, should indeed 'Free Kobbie Mainoo'.

If the England midfielder is not given his first Premier League start of the season on Sunday, then he really has to push for a move away from Old Trafford.

But - and it is a big 'but' - the club's hierarchy is under no obligation whatsoever to sell Mainoo, whether Ruben Amorim has him in his next lineup or not.

It is not as if the 20-year-old is a massive drain on finances and his modest contract has a year and a half to run.

The suggestion is that Mainoo wants more game time so he can make a case for going to the World Cup with the Three Lions next summer.