GARY LINEKER joked Kobbie Mainoo should consider suing his former manager Ruben Amorim.

The midfielder has been brought back into the Manchester United starting line-up by interim boss .

Manchester, UK. 01st Feb, 2026. Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo (37) during the Manchester United v Fulham Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on 1 February 2026 Credit: Phil Duncan/Every Second Media Credit: Every SeGary Lineker joked Kobbie Mainoo should sue Ruben AmorimCredit: Alamy NINTCHDBPICT000894777859Lineker was full of praise for the young midfielderCredit: The Rest is football podcast London, UK. 05th Jan, 2026. **** **** RUBEN AMORIM IS DISMISSED AS MANAGER OF MANCHESTER UNITED Manchester United Manager Ruben Amorim. Picture Credit: Mark Pain/Alamy Live NewsAmorim failed to start Mainoo in the Premier League this seasonCredit: Alamy

Mainoo impressed yet again in the 2-0 win over and he has won several plaudits since his reintroduction.

Lineker was full of praise for the England star and said Amorim’s decision to leave him out all season long was “baffling”.

He said on The Rest is Football : “If I was Kobbie Mainoo – and I say this in jest – I’d be thinking about whether I should sue him or not.

“He’s taken a year out of this kid’s career. This kid is a wonderful footballer.

“He makes it look so easy. He wants the ball, he receives it with everyone around him and he turns, he always makes the right decisions, he’s graceful.

“He’s [Amorim] been absolutely detrimental to his career. If he doesn’t make the World Cup squad, and I sense if he can stay fit and keep playing because he’s a seriously good footballer – I know his brother got in a bit of trouble over his T-shirt ‘free Kobbie’, he has absolutely got a point, his brother.

“What was he thinking?!”

agreed with Lineker, and suggested Amorim must be “cringing” at the upturn in performances.

Kobbie Mainoo's player stats against Tottenham, including touches, passes, tackles, duels won, dribbles, and minutes played.

Lineker then added: “Wait until he gets the letter from Kobbie’s lawyer.

“I say this in jest obviously but, come on, it’s so so baffling that he couldn’t see how good that young man is.

“I thought to myself ‘has something happened? Has he got above his station’ but he’s come back in and you think ‘no, he’s exactly what he was before’ which was arguably England’s best player at the Euros.”

Amorim’s insistence on his preferred 3-4-3 formation meant there was no place in his side for Mainoo, who did not start a single Prem match this season before Amorim was sacked.

have since won four on the bounce with Mainoo, 20, not missing a minute.