Rúben Amorim could see Kobbie Mainoo return to action for Manchester United as they prepare to face Leeds in the Premier League.
Manchester United will be hoping to leave 2025 behind them as Rúben Amorim prepares for his first game of 2026, a trip to face Leeds United at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.
Last year saw United falter at multiple moments, losing the Europa League final to Tottenham while finishing 15th in the 2024/25 Premier League table.
Amorim’s side now sit sixth in the Premier League at the halfway point, level on points with Chelsea in 5th, while Leeds have seen a brilliant upturn in form.
After starting the season poorly and in the middle of a relegation battle, Daniel Farke’s side are unbeaten in five, drawing to the likes of Liverpool and Sunderland while defeating Chelsea and Crystal Palace at home.
Could Mainoo return vs Leeds?
Kobbie Mainoo is yet to start a league game for United due to Amorim’s two-man midfield formation, with Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro taking up the spots.
However, he was due to start against Aston Villa but pulled up with a calf injury in training the day before, and with Fernandes then sustaining his own injury during that tie, Mainoo missed the chance to start against either Newcastle or Wolves later in December.
But reports at the time suggested that the 20-year-old would only be out for a week or so, suggesting that his injury was minor.
Amorim stated last week that he also feels Mainoo would return before Fernandes, which suggests that the Englishman could be in contention to return to training this week and feature against Leeds, possibly from the start, on Sunday.
Mainoo would be a ‘different’ boost for Amorim
Despite Mainoo’s limited minutes this campaign, Amorim has consistently stated that he understands how talented the player is.
Speaking after the draw against Wolves in which Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte were the starting midfielders, the head coach admitted he knows Mainoo would have brought something different to the side, had he been available.
“When you field Casemiro and Ugarte, you know it’s different from Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, or Bruno Fernandes. That’s normal,” Amorims said.
“We need to get our players back, and the fluidity will be different. Again, we won the last match, and we could have won this one with the players available. We lacked fluidity and creativity.”
Amorim will hold his usual pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of the trip to face Leeds United.
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