Ruben Amorim makes stance clear on Kobbie Mainoo’s Man United future: ‘The club comes first’ | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim has told Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee that he will not let them leave in January unless it is in Manchester United’s interest.

Midfielder Mainoo had wanted a loan move at the end of the summer transfer window and he and forward Zirkzee are both yet to begin a league game this season.

Each runs the risk of missing out on the World Cup if they cannot get first-team football but Amorim is adamant that United takes priority in any decision he makes.

He explained: “The first thing is that the club comes first, so we have to think about the club and the team, and then everything can happen. I was a football player, I understand everything, and I want to help my players in every situation, so I don't know what is going to happen.

“I want my players happy. I understand the frustration of some players, seeing that the World Cup is there, and I know what it means for the World Cup, but Manchester United comes first, so if I can help the club and the players, I will be happy, if not I have to think about the team.”

Zirkzee could be required as cover in January when Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are set to be at the African Cup of Nations while Mainoo is one of only four central midfielders in the United squad, along with Bruno Fernandes, Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, making it harder for Amorim to allow him to go.

Amorim has admitted Uruguay international Ugarte, who he worked with at Sporting CP, is struggling at United and told him he needed to improve.

He added: “A lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle. He is struggling in the moment, but it is our job to try to help our players, and again, everything can change, and you saw it five weeks ago, the environment was completely different.

“So I know that Ugarte is struggling in the moment, and my job is trying to help him to feel as a player, like I felt when he was a sporting player, for example, but it is a different world, and he needs to adapt, and he needs to improve, especially in training.”