Sometimes I anticipate extra from him

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has claimed that he wants to see more from midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, but insists that he will not start the midfielder based on his past performances. The Portuguese admitted that he knows the Englishman’s talent and will get the best out of his player.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Manchester derby, Amorim compared Mainoo’s situation to Vitinha at Wolverhampton, saying that the best talents always stand out after a tough phase. He believes that his side plays differently from Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United, and that is the key reason for the change. He said (via GOAL):

“I remember Vitinha was not playing for Wolverhampton. Nowadays, you can see that Vitinha is maybe the best midfielder in the world. So you never know. Something can happen sometimes. The way I play is completely different from the last manager. I watched a lot of games from the Premier League in Portugal. You can feel then that Manchester United really [played in] transitions. He was the only guy that calmed down the game. Now we have other players that calm down the game.”

“Sometimes I expect more from Kobbie Mainoo. Sometimes, maybe if I start [him] more, Kobbie Mainoo is going to play and he’s going to get hard to take out. I need to go with what I’m feeling at the moment and that is the only feeling. He’s starting the final of the European Championship in a team that has a lot of talented players – [Phil] Foden played that game, [Cole] Palmer was on the bench. He was playing. I know all that, but sometimes I have a different way of seeing the game.”

Mainoo was a key player under Ten Hag, but has now been benched by Amorim. The Englishman was linked with an exit, but stayed at the club despite interest.

Ruben Amorim insists Manchester United star is fighting for his place

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has claimed that Kobbie Mainoo is fighting for his place in the team for the first time in his career and is doing everything he can to earn his spot back. He added that the Englishman is learning from the situation and said:

“He’s not used to fighting for his place, maybe. He’s uncomfortable, but he’s a very good kid. He wants to learn. Sometimes it’s hard to push different things from the players.”

Mainoo was linked with a loan exit in the summer window, but opted to stay and fight for his place. He was also linked with a permanent exit in January, with Chelsea reportedly showing interest.