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Ruben Amorim has told Kobbie Mainoo there is no shame in being on the bench at Manchester United, and urged him to shut out the ‘nonsense and noise’ over his future.
Amorim pointed to Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Juan Sebastian Veron as United stars who had to accept being a substitute during their Old Trafford careers as he tried to placate Mainoo.
The unhappy midfielder hasn’t started a Premier League game this season, with all 11 of his appearances coming off the bench. Mainoo may be handed an opportunity at Aston Villa on Sunday in the absence of Casemiro through suspension, but he is keen to leave in the January transfer window with Napoli at the front of the queue to sign him.
‘Kobbie needs to fight for his job,’ said Amorim. ‘I think that it’s not a bad thing to be on the bench of Manchester United when you are 20-years-old. I remember Ronaldo was on the bench, Rooney was on the bench sometimes, Veron was not playing.
‘I’m not trying to say to Kobbie, ‘you are a big player here, let’s put him on the bench to show something’. No, what I’m saying is the opposite. I’m just not putting Kobbie in sometimes because I understand that this is not the right guy to start the game. Maybe the next game, Sunday, he is going to start.
‘If he plays well, is going to show everyone ‘this guy cannot take me out of the team’, and I will be so happy.
Ruben Amorim has sent a message to Kobbie Mainoo with the star wanting to leave Man United
‘So I don’t care. I don’t want to show nothing to anyone. I’m just saying that I’m trying to win games and to show to the players that if you do the things right, you will play no matter what the name.’
The player’s half-brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames stoked tensions with the club at Monday’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth by wearing a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt, and Amorim is keen to avoid any more drama.
‘I had the situation in Sporting Lisbon,’ he added. ‘My brother wrote something on the internet, and I have to answer for that. My explanation is that he has his life, he has his opinion, and it’s nothing to do with me. So I will do the same with Kobbie.
‘He’s responsible for his acts and his act was to play well in the last game, I’m just focused on that.
‘So let’s continue in trying to avoid the nonsense and the noise. I just want to want to help the team to win and to help Kobbie to be a better player.’
