Kobbie Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes for a place in the Man Utd starting XI and has not started in the Premier League this term.
Kobbie Mainoo in training.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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Ruben Amorim feels Kobbie Mainoo is suffering from Manchester United not playing in Europe this season.
Amorim's handling of Mainoo was a talking point throughout the first few weeks of the campaign, with the United boss saying that Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes to start.
Mainoo has not started in the Premier League this season. The midfielder has been limited to substitute appearances and his only start came against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round.
The conversation around Mainoo has settled after three successive United wins. United are sixth in the Premier League table and have momentum heading into their match against Nottingham Forest today.
Amorim was asked whether Champions League qualification was the target after a brilliant October and name-dropped Mainoo when discussing the importance of returning to Europe.
"No, it's not," Amorim said about Champions League qualification being the target. "We need to go to Europe, because of everything. Our club needs to be in Europe.
"It's hard to have a very, very good scout. Imagine what it's like for me to have Kobbie Mainoo with the minutes that he's playing, he needs more games for me to make a rotation.
"Because with one game it's really hard, I have to take one of the guys that is playing to put another. When you have more games, you can divide, you can manage the group in a different way.
"We are trying to use the time that we have to train to be a better team, we need to be prepared in the future to have European games. But the target doesn't change.
"We have to go to Europe. To be in the top four is really hard for our moment, but we never know, we just need to focus on winning the next one and then we will see."
Amorim was asked about keeping the players who aren't playing happy and said: "Because around the training ground, the mood seems so much brighter than it was.
"First of all, they understand, I prove that anyone can play, and everyone has to do the same things, not in the same way, but there are some things that everyone, no matter what is your name, you have to do it to play for Manchester United.
"And that can help to manage... I try to explain all the time to the players that this is... We are not just playing today, not just this year, but then the next seasons.
"So they feel that they are part of the journey, and that we are part of something more bigger than just one game or one season. So they are part of our path.
"And then I show also to them that Casemiro was not part of the starting XI, was behind, and then he fought. He won the place, and if you win the place, you will be playing.
"So I think that helped them to understand that I'm trying to be fair, and they are part of something very special that is very important to us."
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