Ruben Amorim wants Kobbie Mainoo to fight for his place at Manchester United.
A lot has been written about Manchester United and players leaving in the past 24 hours.
Alejandro Garnacho has completed a move to Chelsea, and Rasmus Hojlund is on the verge of joining Napoli on loan.
There is also uncertainty over the futures of other players like Antony and Tyrell Malacia, who have both been linked with moves away from Old Trafford this summer.
Another United player in the spotlight is Kobbie Mainoo. The midfielder was overlooked for the first two games of the season, before starting in United’s disappointing defeat against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round.
Mainoo was one of United’s best performers against Grimsby Town, but he is not expected to keep his place in the line-up on Saturday when the Red Devils host Burnley.
Kobbie Mainoo raises his arm after scoring
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim wants Kobbie Mainoo to stay
Amorim has already stated that Mainoo is competing with Bruno Fernandes for a place in the team.
Essentially, that means the United head coach does not see the 20-year-old midfielder as an alternative to Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte. He prefers Mainoo to be attacking the opponent in the final third, although he held a deep position for much of the game against Grimsby midweek.
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Fernandes will return to United’s line-up to face Burnley, but Amorim told reporters this afternoon that he wants Mainoo to stay at the club and fight for his place in the team.
“I want Kobbie to stay,” Amorim said. “He needs to fight for his place, and we need Kobbie. So that is not going to change.
“I understand that the players who aren’t playing in this moment are disappointed. You have to fight during the week.”
Mainoo was overlooked by Thomas Tuchel in the latest England squad, which makes sense until you learn that Jordan Henderson was called up.
Reports suggest that Mainoo wants to leave United on loan to ensure he’d play regular football throughout the season. It remains to be seen if he will achieve that under Amorim at United.
Mainoo has turned down several contract offers
Mainoo has been on the same contract since he broke into United’s first team.
According to Andy Mitten, writing for The National, Mainoo has turned down several offers of an improved contract from United over the past year.
The respected journalist adds that United are trying to address a long-standing issue of overpaying young players before they’ve reached their potential.
Mainoo is currently earning £20,000 per week at United.