Ruben Amorim says he expects more from Kobbie Mainoo

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said he expects more from talented Kobbie Mainoo. The youngster hasn’t had a lot of game time after he requested a loan move away from Manchester United last month.

The club rejected that request and the midfielder made his first Premier League appearance of the ongoing season as a second-half substitute in the 3-2 win over Burnley.

In the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City, Mainoo scored a brilliant goal and bagged the Player of the Match award as United had stunned the derby rivals. On Sunday, the two Manchester teams will once again face each other.

“Like a lot of guys, he wants to play more,” Amorim said. “I didn’t have a conversation with him before the window closed — I did this week — because I don’t want Kobbie Mainoo thinking that I was having any conversation with him just to hold on to him. I don’t want that feeling.

“I believe a lot in Kobbie but some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already [the finished article]. I think he can do so much better, he can improve a lot.

“I think for some guys it is enough [their talent], but for him it is not enough. Maybe it’s not fair, but I think I’m helping Kobbie Mainoo, and that’s it. He will have opportunities like the other guys.”

Meanwhile, the Portuguese manager took over the coaching baton from Erik Ten Hag in November 2024 and he admitted his coaching style is completely different from the Dutchman.

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

“Sometimes, I look at Kobbie Mainoo and I feel that sometimes he was like — and I watched a lot of games from the Premier League when I was in Portugal — and you can feel that the Manchester United team was really transitional.

“He was the only guy who calmed down the game. Now we have other players who can calm down the game. We play a different game, and sometimes I expect more from Kobbie Mainoo. And I know that he can give that.”

Manchester United have won one, lost one, and drawn one so far in the ongoing season.