Ruben Amorim says he is willing to speak to Kobbie Mainoo about his Manchester United future if the midfielder wants a loan move in January.
Mainoo, who requested a temporary switch in the summer, has yet to start a Premier League game this season. Amorim has previously described the academy graduate as “a starter like the other players” after United’s 4-1 win at Wolves, but Mainoo’s limited minutes have drawn criticism from club legends Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Nicky Butt, who have urged him to leave for regular football rather than stall his development.
Scholes: “You would have to advise him to go. If he rang me and said ‘I think Chelsea are in for me what do you think’, I’d say ‘all day long’.”
Butt: “For his football career, he has to leave. He has lost 18 months of development.”
Ferdinand: “He’s probably been there six months longer than he should’ve been. He should’ve just gone.”
Mainoo started for England in the Euros final in July 2024, but reports have linked him with a loan move — including Napoli — as he seeks game time ahead of the World Cup.
Asked whether he would sanction a January loan if Mainoo asked, Amorim said: “If Kobbie comes to me and talks to me, I will talk to him. I’m not going to say what I’m going to say to Kobbie, but I will be really pleased if Kobbie is coming to talk to me about that. I just want my players [to be] happy and understand that every individual has their goals. The frustration doesn’t help anybody.”
Amorim insists Mainoo’s reduced role is down to competition with Bruno Fernandes, who has started every league game and is “really hard to take out of the team.” With Fernandes rarely substituted until late in matches, opportunities for Mainoo in that specific role are limited.
Amorim believes Mainoo can play in the deeper role Casemiro occupies at times, but stressed the youngster must improve his defensive positioning and commitment to blocking transitions to make that position his own. “He can play in that position, but it’s hard sometimes,” Amorim said. “He needs to spend more time there, but he can be in the future in that position.”
Amorim pointed to Casemiro’s experience as an example of a player changing his standing through training and performance. Casemiro had to convince Amorim after initially being behind academy midfielder Toby Collyer last season. Collyer is currently on loan at West Brom and has had limited game time before an injury that brought him back to United for treatment.
“Sometimes it’s not because he’s from the academy or whatever. It’s the situation that’s happened,” Amorim said, defending his broader handling of academy players while acknowledging criticism.
On whether he rates Mainoo, Amorim was clear: “Of course, like everyone else. The problem is we are playing with two [in midfield] and you guys see Kobbie in a different way than I’m seeing. Maybe if you play with three midfielders, not with just two, Kobbie will have more minutes.”
He reiterated that the door is open for any player to change his mind through training and matches: “The door is open for any player to change my mind. But in the end, it’s going to be the training, the games. Of course, he’s not playing so many games, but Kobbs, he had opportunities, especially last year.”
Amorim admitted he has not had a detailed conversation with Mainoo this season specifically about a loan move. “Not about that. I had some conversations with him, especially last year, and with other players, but about that subject, no, I didn’t speak with him,” he said. He added he is “completely open” to having such discussions, though he will not change his views if he does not believe it is right for the team.
On the matter of criticism from former players and pundits, Amorim accepted it as part of the job amid a period of underachievement: “I think it’s normal. I think it’s a fact that me as a manager of Manchester United, I think we are underachieving. We should have more points, especially this season. So I take it that naturally.”
In summary, Amorim says he will listen if Mainoo approaches him about a January loan, but any decision will consider the team’s needs, training performances and Amorim’s tactical plans. He remains publicly supportive of Mainoo’s potential while emphasising the competitive realities of United’s midfield selection.