Steve Nicol believes that Kobbie Mainoo's frailties off the ball are why the Manchester United midfielder has barely featured under Ruben Amorim this season.
Mainoo has not started any of United's first seven Premier League games in a clear sign that he has fallen down the pecking order under Amorim.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakout season under Erik ten Hag, culminating in him starting for England in the Euro 2024 final, but Amorim has preferred to partner Bruno Fernandes with one of Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte in his two-man midfield.
In search of regular minutes, Mainoo sought to engineer a loan move away from Old Trafford in the summer window to boost his chances of making England's World Cup squad.The Red Devils refused to sanction a move, though, meaning Mainoo is now seemingly consigned to cameo appearances off the bench unless he can somehow force his way into Amorim's plans.
And former Liverpool defender Nicol fears that could be unlikely, suggesting that Mainoo 'doesn't do enough' to help his side out of possession.
'In my opinion, Mainoo is great with the ball at his feet but when the opposition has the ball, he doesn't do enough,' Nicol told ESPN.
'In fact, he doesn't do anything. He doesn't stop people getting at Man Utd back four. And the fact that that is one of the biggest problems United have and this guy still can't figure it out.
'I think basically he’s been found out because at the end of the day, when you play for the top clubs and you want to be challenging, your players have to contribute on both sides of the ball.
'And if there is one thing Mainoo doesn't do, it's contribute defensively.
'The fact that Casemiro is starting over him consistently tells you that there is a problem and the kid is not as good as we thought he was when he first burst onto the scene.
Asked if Amorim could work with Mainoo to improve on those parts of his game, Nicol responded: 'It's interesting you say work with him, because it looks like the work rate on that side isn't there.
'Any coach who has a player who he thinks isn't giving their all, when it comes to having to play one guy or another, that guy is getting shoved away.
'If you're the coach at United and you're watching Mainoo time after time letting people run off them and looking as though you are not that bothered about it, you're going to the bottom of the pile.'
Speaking last month, Amorim insisted that Mainoo needed to improve in order to secure more playing time at United.
'Like a lot of guys, he wants to play more,' Amorim said.