Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy expects new Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim to snub England international Kobbie Mainoo.
The 19-year-old was sensational for his boyhood club during the 2023/24 campaign as he was one of the breakout starts in the Premier League.
Mainoo made a huge impact as he broke onto the scene, shining for Man Utd and England in difficult situations.
The teenager has not played for Man Utd since last month’s goalless draw against Aston Villa as he’s picked up a muscle injury. He was an unused substitute on Sunday afternoon as his side were held to a 1-1 statemate at Ipswich Town in Amorim’s first game in charge.
Circumstances meant Amorim had to select Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in centre-midfield, but they are likely to be replaced by Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte in the coming weeks.
A recent report from Fabrizio Romano revealed Amorim “loves” Mainoo, but Murphy has indicated that he cannot see the head coach playing him alongside Ugarte.
“To play that role well, United’s midfielders will need to be more than just mobile, too,” Murphy told BBC Sport.
“They will both have to love the defensive side of the game and be able to spot danger and then be fast enough to stop it. In the long run, I think Manuel Ugarte will be one of them.
“He needs a run of games to get his sharpness back, but we have seen glimpses of how good he is, for example, in the Europa League against Fenerbahce last month, and he has flourished under Amorim at Sporting before.
“As for who Ugarte will have alongside him, well, it will probably be someone who is not at the club at the moment.
“There is going to have to be activity in the next couple of transfer windows for them to get the type of player Amorim requires.”
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“I would be amazed if they are still playing a 3-4-3 in a year’s time,” Murphy added.
“This league is very, very different than continental leagues. We have only had Chelsea in recent years win playing that system. And, let’s be honest, they had Kante and Matic – two wonderful midfielders in the middle of the pitch, plus Costa up top with Hazard supporting him and helping them as well.
“They [Manchester United] don’t have those players yet and how do you find them? It costs hundreds of millions to get the best players in the world.
“When you play three at the back against the majority of good teams in our league who play three high, you end up being a five and that is really difficult.
“If Manchester United are going to become much better and be competitive, I think that 3-4-3 will evolve into something else.”
