Amorim tells overhyped Man Utd star where he must improve in refreshingly honest assessment

Ruben Amorim believes a Manchester United player isn’t at the level the media and fans are making him out to be, though the manager has offered wise words on where he can improve.

An inevitable consequence of Man Utd being the biggest club in England and arguably in world football is their stars will always be overhyped.

It would be easy for a United manager to believe the noise, though in Amorim’s case, he’s taking a more pragmatic approach to his players.

One star who was tipped to go right to the very top after a sublime first six months in senior football was Kobbie Mainoo.

The 20-year-old burst on to the scene roughly 18 months ago and in his first six months in the senior side, he’d established himself as a guaranteed starter, scored a wonder goal against Wolves and bagged the winning goal and man of the match award in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

Mainoo was called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad at Euro 2024 and thrust himself into the starting XI. The Three Lions advanced all the way to the final before falling short against Spain.

However, injuries and the change of manager have resulted in Mainoo’s career at Old Trafford stalling. The midfielder pushed to leave on loan in the final week of the window, but having failed to sign a new midfielder, United denied Mainoo’s request.

Prior to Sunday’s derby clash with Manchester City, Mainoo is yet to start in the Premier League this season. In a World Cup year and at a time when the likes of Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson are impressing, Mainoo is at risk of being left off the plane.

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To avert missing out on England’s bid for glory in 2026, Mainoo must feature regularly at club level this term.

Amorim recently revealed he’s spoken to Mainoo about his situation and lack of playing time. However, the bigger news story was Amorim’s claim Mainoo isn’t yet the calibre of player some are making him out to be.

“I didn’t have a conversation with him before the window closed because I didn’t want Kobbie Mainoo thinking that I was having a conversation with him just to hold on to him,” explained Amorim. “I did it this week.

“I believe in him a lot. He is a top player. But some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done [a complete player]. I think he can do so much better.

“For some guys [talent] is enough, but for him it is not. Maybe it’s not fair, but I think I’m helping Kobbie and that’s it.”

Amorim tells Mainoo where to improve

When speaking after the 1-1 draw with Fulham in August, Amorim claimed Mainoo is in direct competition with Bruno Fernandes for starts.

Fernandes has been deployed in one of the two deeper midfield roles this season as a number eight, and generally plays alongside a more defensive-minded option (number six) like Casemiro.

Clearly, Amorim views Mainoo as more of a central midfielder than a No 10, though there are areas he must improve in to earn starts as the six or eight.

And in a refreshingly honest assessment of his player, Amorim went on to detail what Mainoo can do to force his way into the starting eleven.

These types of conversations will invariably be taking place behind the scenes, but it was a breath of fresh air to hear a manager say it in public too.

“The way I play is completely different from the last manager,” added Amorim.

“I watched a lot of Premier League games when I was in Portugal. You can feel the Manchester United team was really transitional.

“Sometimes I looked at Kobbie Mainoo and felt he was the only guy who calmed the game down. Now we have other players who can do that and we play a different game.

“Kobbie is really good at controlling the game, but if he plays as an eight he has to reach the box and return. Sometimes he has to cover a lot of space with just two [players].

“He could play as a six (defensive midfielder) but sometimes he passes the ball and goes away, which is not a reference as a six.

“We have to balance everything. He has the technical ability but he needs to understand the position better. He needs to play in different speeds – sometimes lower, sometimes faster. He can improve on that.”

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