Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has suggested Kobbie Mainoo could feature more in the number 10 position going forward, following his stellar performance in that role during Thursday’s 2-0 win over FCSB.
Mainoo arguably had his best game under Amorim vs. FCSB, scoring one goal and assisting another to ensure United secured a director route into the last-16 of the competition.
Amorim has primarily deployed Mainoo in the pivot but in the meeting with FCSB, he used him slightly higher up the pitch, as one of the two most advanced midfielders, with Bruno Fernandes deeper.
The tactical change certainly paid dividends. Mainoo himself admitted that he enjoyed it and was over the moon to get some goal contributions.
After the final whistle, Amorim spoke to MUTV and gave his verdict on the match and Mainoo’s sensational performance.
The Portuguese coach said, “That is massive for us [automatic progression]. The joy of winning, and then you put together that you will have two weeks to work our idea and to prepare for games is really massive for us.”
“We are in the next stage, we’re going to prepare for the next stage but the most important thing is to recover. Sunday we have a game with our fans and we have to be ready for that.”
On the team winning more and achieving a degree of consistency, Amorim remarked, “It’s more natural. That is really important. You can feel the dressing is a bit more relaxed and relaxed in a good way.”
“We know everything can change on Sunday but we can feel it’s a different environment and you want to keep that feeling. You want to work in a better way.”
On Mainoo, Amorim stated, “Kobbie Mainoo played in a different position…with more freedom, more near the box. He is so technical and he can change the game there.”
“So I think it’s a good position for him, we will see but I’m really happy to see Kobbie enjoy the game a little bit more.”
“Sometimes he always worries about the recovery, trying to defend and I know that he’s trying but tonight I felt he enjoyed the game more and I’m really happy with that.”
“Sometimes you think about things and we talk about them with the staff but then you need to know the player, work with the player and understand if our idea is wrong and whether we need to change it.”
“We will see, Kobbie can play in different positions but I think this position is really good and he didn’t spend a lot of time training, so I think with training he can improve in that.”
Amorim confirmed that United will remain in Bucharest for the night to aid in recovery ahead of their Sunday clash with Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace.
Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
