Every word from Ruben Amorim’s Newcastle United press conference – embargoed section | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim says Kobbie Mainoo is going to be the future of Manchester United.

The Manchester United head coach was speaking in the embargoed section of the pre-match press conference ahead of Friday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

The first question was whether a decision has been made yet on whether to extend Harry Maguire and Casemiro’s contracts, both of which expire at the end of the season.

On the future of Harry Maguire and Casemiro

“No, there is no decision,” he answered. “We have a lot to do. We need to understand what is going to happen in the next season because we need to understand the European Games, what we are doing. We have so much to do in this moment. We are not thinking about that. We will think far ahead. We need to just think about the next game.”

The reporter asked “Would you like to keep both players for next season?”

Amorim replied: “I’m really happy with them, but I don’t know what is going to happen. We’ll see what is going to happen until the end of the season, what position we will be, and then we’ll see.”

On January transfers

The next question was “This January transfer window, I believe you may, I’m not asking you to admit this, that you may want a midfielder. But just generally, if you get to the end of the window and you haven’t strengthened your squad, would you be disappointed?”

The boss replied “No. Of course, we are struggling in this moment, but the club, we have a plan. We have a plan and we are going to stick with the plan. I think if we have the opportunity to bring a player that we think that is going to be the future of the club, he is going to come. If not, we have Jack, we have Shea, in three weeks, we’ll have Amad, Nouss, Bryan, return of Bruno, Kobbie Mainoo. So we’ll see.”

The reporter then suggested that Amorim is just one injury away from complete annihilation of his midfield.

“The day before was Kobbie and then was Bruno,” he explained. “We were talking about Kobbie doesn’t have the minutes that he deserves in need. Then you have the opportunity and Kobbie is not there. Sometimes it’s bad luck.”

“I think during this year, we had some moments that we had a little bit of bad luck. When I look at the team, when we have the full squad, I think I need to take more quality from that group. I’m focused on that. If we can bring someone good, if not, we’ll spend money in the summer.”

The next question was “earlier this year, you talked about some of the characteristics you felt your squad could do with more of, and you said wingers that are more offensive than defensive. Could you explain that a little bit more now?”

“Maybe I was talking about Amad. Playing Amad is different than playing…”

“This was after you beat Athletic Club,” the reporter explained. “You said the player after you beat Athletic Club, Bilbao. You said the player in the right 10, if he has a left foot, that can help you. And you also said wingers that are more offensive than defensive.”

“Yeah, it was about Amad,” the head coach replied. “We played last year with Nouss and Diogo most of the time there. If you play with Amad, it’s completely different. I think you are talking about that position of the winger. That can change our game. I think in the future, we can change also, like I was always talking, and you guys, especially you, about the system. We can play a different way to take more quality from these players because I have the feeling that if we have to play a perfect three four three, we need to spend a lot of money and we need time. I’m starting to understand that that is not going to happen, so maybe I have to adapt.”

“But talking about the winger position is to playing with Amad is completely different. Imagine if we have a different character with the right foot like Amad in the other side, so you can be more aggressive. You can change the way you play completely with the same system. Last year, we played with Nouss and Malacia sometimes. It’s a completely different system if you play with Amad and another winger in the opposite side. That was my meaning in that point.”

“Is that player, a winger on the left who can use his right foot, is that characteristic something you want to have?” he was asked.

“I think we need that in the future, but it’s not easy to… It’s not just to play as a winger, but to have a Bryan with the right foot more direct. I think we need that in our squad. We play more with Mase and Cunha there. They are a 10, they are not a winger. I think it’s a position that in the future, we can look.”

On Kobbie Mainoo (yet again)

Then came the inevitable Kobbie Mainoo question, “Ruben, I know we’ve asked you a lot about Kobbie in recent weeks, but an important time coming up with the transfer window opening. If he came to you and asked to leave on loan to get more minutes, would you consider letting him leave or have the events, Bruno getting injured, the guys going away with Afcon, has that stopped you considering letting Kobbie leave?”

Amorim replied: “If we are not getting someone, it’s hard to leave. We are shorter. Even with the full squad, we are shorter that can happen here. We are a club with a big responsibility. We are dealing with all these issues. In your heads, in my head, in everybody’s head, we need to win every game. It doesn’t matter. There is no excuses. It’s going to be hard for someone to leave the club if we don’t get a substitution.”

He was then asked if he thinks the squad “is good enough to finish in the top four”.

“No, I think it’s hard to talk about that,” he said. “What I can say is that we have potential to do more. I think I can do more with the team and I can help the team to be better. That I can say. If it’s top four, I think it’s different in our club. Everything around our club is not so simple as we have the talent to reach that. No, there is so much more than that in the team. The only thing I can say is that if we have the full squad, I think I can help them to play better and I think we can be better in the future.”

Back to Mainoo, the next question was “When he comes back, is this Kabbie’s chance now to take his? You talked, I think on Friday, about the noise and all the nonsense. Is it now, after all this noise and nonsense, is this the chance for him to show what he can do best on the actual football field?”

Amorim responded “Kobbie Mainoo will have the opportunity that he has all the time. He played in different positions, and we talk about the position of Casimiro, he can do that position. If we play with three, like we play in the last game, the position of Mason Mount in this game, he can play there. In the future, he’s going to be the future of Manchester United. That is my feeling. So he just needs to wait for each chance and everything can change in football in two days.”

The next question was: “In terms of Casemiro, you played at the highest level, and you obviously managed players at the highest level. You’re going to be relying on him more than ever now over the next month or so. How hard is it for a player who’s coming out of contract, who doesn’t know what his future is of the club, to balance those two things up? You become a main man playing for the club, and yet the indications are that he won’t be here beyond June.”

“No, It’s not that situation,” the boss insisted. “I’m not saying that he’s going to continue or not. Then when I see Casemiro training, if everyone trained like him, if everyone is so focused on the detail, even in training, in set-pieces training, even when they are playing 10 versus goalkeeper, and the movements that he made, imagine in the game, will be a top team. If everyone works like Casemiro. When I say work, it’s not just running, it’s the focus. You can understand why that guy won five Champions Leagues, because if you pay attention to everything that he does with no contract, he’s a top player.”

Read every word of the first part of the presser here.

Featured image Gabriel Kuchta via Getty Images

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