Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has named the one midfielder that he believes Ruben Amorim doesn't like following question marks over Kobbie Mainoo's future at Old Trafford. The 20-year-old academy graduate has featured as a substitute in just one of the Red Devils' Premier League games this season and had asked to leave the club on loan in order to receive more game time.
Mainoo's request was flat-out denied by the powers that be, who instead told him to fight with the likes of club captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the first team. It has led to some speculation over how highly Amorim does or doesn't rate the England international. However, Scholes believes there is another engine room operator that he thinks the United boss has more of an issue with.
1 Scholes' Claims on Amorim's Feelings Towards United's Midfielders
Speaking on his latest appearance on The Overlap YouTube channel, Scholes claimed that Amorim still wasn't sure on what his ideal midfield partnership was, before doubling down that the 40-year-old didn't like Manuel Ugarte.
"Now, I think he’s got four or five midfield players in there and he wants to play two of them. He can’t get it right. He can’t get the combination right. Ugarte and Mainoo, he doesn’t like; Casemiro and Mainoo, he doesn’t like. Casemiro-Fernandes is the one he seems to be going for a lot, but that isn’t going to win you a Premier League [title].
"He probably doesn’t like Ugarte, absolutely."
While many assumed Amorim's arrival at United in 2024 would've been perfect for the £120,000-per-week ball-winner due to their previous working relationship in Portugal. However, some of the coach's comments while at Sporting implied that he wasn't totally satisfied with the Uruguayan.
"I love Joao Palhinha and Manuel Ugarte; I ask them to forgive me, but I would say that Hjulmand is the most complete player of the three," Amorim explained when asked about the impact of Morten Hjulmand on his Primeira Liga side.
"Morten doesn’t have Ugarte’s ability to find players from all sides of the pitch with incredible speed. Morten has, and Ugarte didn’t have, the ability to read the game, anticipate moves and be well positioned."
Ugarte is also yet to start any of the three Premier League games to start the season, though he did start, and struggle, in the Carabao Cup defeat to Grimsby.