Ruben Amorim has warned Kobbie Mainoo to not believe the hype that he is the “finished article” and to focus on improving, amid negotiations over the teenager’s future at Manchester United.
The 19-year-old midfielder, whose contract runs until 2027 with the option of another year, has been a regular for United since progressing to the first team from the club’s academy and is seeking an increase on his £20,000-per-week salary. Mainoo’s partnership with Manuel Ugarte has given cause for optimism and the duo could start together again on Sunday as United travel to Arsenal, where Amorim suffered the first defeat of his reign, in the third round of the FA Cup.
“I think Kobbie Mainoo is improving a lot during the last matches, I think you guys [the media] feel like Kobbie Mainoo is the finished product – he is not, he has so much potential to grow up even more,” Amorim said. “He is really, really good but he can be so much better. I think he is improving, all the players are improving, all the players are important for me, no matter what.”
United are not actively trying to sell Mainoo but would be open to a substantial offer that could help United comply with profitability and sustainability rules.
United are the FA Cup holders after beating Manchester City in last season’s final. It was enough for Erik ten Hag to keep his job in the short term but continuing poor league form into this season led to his demise. Sunday will be Amorim’s first taste of the competition, and it will be a very rude introduction against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Portuguese head coach has been learning about United’s history by watching documentaries about the club, including one on how Sir Alex Ferguson’s job was saved by winning a third-round match at Nottingham Forest and going on to lift the trophy in 1989-90.
Asked how the FA Cup can provide a springboard for his tenure, Amorim replied: “Because of the feeling of winning, that feeling gives you so much confidence. If you win one thing you believe that you can win more, then that feeling is addictive. You feel it and then it’s really easy to follow that to try to win it again.”
United have won the FA Cup 13 times – twice since Ferguson left in 2013 – and Amorim, eager to progress in the competition, will not heavily rotate his side but will grant the goalkeeper Altay Bayindir a rare start. United have enjoyed a free midweek since Sunday’s draw at Liverpool and Amorim is eager to build momentum after a difficult run of five defeats in seven Premier League matches and find his best XI.
“The best team depends on them [the players],” Amorim said. “But you can see that the rotation is different now. For example, Manu [Ugarte] is playing more than Casemiro. You can see that some of the guys are winning more the position but for me, the position is always open. It depends on the way they play and the way they train. So I think we are closer [to finding the best XI].
“We have more time [together], we have the games, the evaluation of the games. And now with the small training that we have you can understand better the players and the way you want to play.
“Sometimes it’s not to choose the best player in the team, it’s the best player that can do the position the way I see it, so we are closer.”
