Ruben Amorim has picked out two Manchester United players who “have to improve” and insists they “must be careful” with Kobbie Mainoo on his return from injury.
Mainoo starred for England at Euro 2024 having only broken into the Manchester United team last season, with his goal in the FA Cup final win over Manchester City the highlight for the academy graduate.
But the 19-year-old – who is yet to sign a new contract amid interest from Chelsea and Real Madrid – has endured a difficult second campaign due to form and fitness problems under Amorim, who explained how he thinks the midfielder can improve his game as he returns from two months out injured.
“When I see Kobbie, I see a lot of talent,” Amorim said ahead of United’s clash with Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday.
“But the way I see it – and I could be wrong – but I see some things that Kobbie has to improve.
“His pace in the game. He needs to improve in the build-up. Near the box, he has a lot of talent and that is why I think he did a really good game in the Europa League in that position.
“But I don’t see a full player at the moment; he is 19. If I say I have seen the final player, I don’t think I am helping Kobbie.”
On Mainoo’s fitness, Amorim said: “In this moment, we have to be careful with Kobbie.
“He had some games out so we have to be careful with his fitness. We are really pleased with him, but we have to be careful with him.”
Amorim also discussed Joshua Zirkzee’s form at Manchester United, insisting he is “improving and showing good things”.
“I think he is improving in all aspects,” Amorim said. “I think he needs to be more selfish and that is a thing when you play as a striker.
“He is not a typical striker but he has to be more selfish. He is more aggressive now, he works better now, he is defending better now, he is connecting quite well.
“He played as a striker against Arsenal and did really, really well. In the games against Sociedad, he played more as a No.10. He is improving and showing good things.”
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Amorim was asked whether the green shoots of optimism at United are down to the defence, with the Red Devils conceding just four goals in their last six games.
He continued: “We’ll improve with time. But you can see, sometimes it’s not just the defence.
“Our team is more together now. If you look at the first games, you can feel the difference. Then players like [Alejandro] Garnacho, they are defending so much better.
“[Manuel] Ugarte, Casamiro, they improved a lot. These final games, he gave us maybe a little bit more stability in that area.
“You can see the way Rasmus [Hojlund] moves, and Josh [Zirkzee]. They defend, they press, they block the No. 6 sometimes. It’s more a team thing than a defence thing.”
