Rúben Amorim has provided an update on Kobbie Mainoo amid reports that the player wants to secure a permanent move away from Manchester United this summer.
Friday afternoon has brought reports that Kobbie Mainoo has decided he wants to seek a permanent move away from Manchester United in the January transfer window.
Following his brother wearing a “free Kobbie Mainoo” t-shirt to the 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday evening, MailSport have reported that he feels he has no genuine route to play first-team football.
It’s claimed that the relationship between Amorim and Mainoo is at a breaking point, and with the player seeing no future at the club under Amorim, Napoli are at the front of the queue to sign him next month.
Despite reportedly lowering his new contract demands, there have been no progress on fresh terms, and the growing expectation is that the player will leave his childhood club.
Amorim speaks out after Mainoo verdict
Following reports that Mainoo had reached a verdict that he wants a permanent move away, Amorim was asked about the player during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of the trip to face Aston Villa.
Initially, the United boss was asked about his stance on his brother’s t-shirt and whether this affects Mainoo’s chances of playing, or if he has spoken to the player about it.
He replied candidly, explaining, “It was not Kobbie that wore the t-shirt. He’s not going to start because of the T-shirt, but it’s not going to the bench because of the t-shirt. It’s going to play if we feel that is the right guy to play. So that is not an issue.
“I’m used to [this noise], I’m here for a year. It’s not new, so we have to deal with that. But I’m not going to do something to Kobbie because someone in his family is doing something. It’s going to be the same. If it is the right guy to play, it’s going to play.”
Amorim insists he’s not spoken with Mainoo
Amid Mainoo’s lack of minutes, the United boss said last week that if the player wanted to speak with him directly about his playing time, Mainoo was free to walk into his office and talk with him one-on-one.
However, this week, Amorim was insistent that it had not yet happened. “No. He played really well [vs Bournemouth], that is the important thing, my office is always open, nobody went there this week, so everything is normal.”
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The questions continued, and Amorim was asked whether the Mainoo situation is one he believes the players’ leadership group should step in to address.
“It continues a little bit, everything on my desk, every problem in our football club is still me that has to deal with that, but this will take time,” he said.
“But again, my door is always open, and it was not Kobbie. The job of Kobbie is to train and to play. I felt that he did really well this game, so that is the most important thing for me. If he has to play, he’s going to play. If he’s not going to play, he’s not going to play.”
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