Ruben Amorim: Manchester United have to be careful with Kobbie Mainoo | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim says Manchester United have to be careful with Kobbie Mainoo’s fitness after the developing teenager returned to the squad for the first time in two months.

The homegrown 19-year-old has been absent since picking up a muscular issue in training in the days after his most recent appearance against Leicester in the FA Cup on February 7.

Mainoo trained with his United team-mates on the eve of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg at Lyon, with the midfielder named in the 23-man squad that travelled to France later that day.

“In this moment we have to be careful with Kobbie,” head coach Amorim said. “He had some games out, so we have to be careful with his fitness.

“We are really happy to have more options and an option like Kobbie Mainoo, with the quality that he has.

“He can play in different positions. He has already played as a six, as an eight, as a 10, so we are really pleased to have Kobbie Mainoo but we have to be careful. We need Kobbie Mainoo fit and fresh.”

Mainoo has made 25 appearances for United this season and Amorim, who succeeded Erik ten Hag in November, believes the England international has more to offer.

Asked if he could start as a central midfielder for his side, the Portuguese said: “Yeah, he can play. I think in England sometimes they play with three defenders also. It was more or less the same position, so he can play.

“We need to help him and a little bit like Casemiro is playing better in this moment because we understand better the way Casemiro can play, I think we can do that with Kobbie because he has a lot of qualities.

“He is really good on the ball but he’s also really good near the opponents’ box, so we will try to manage all that to try and find the right space for a player like Kobbie.”

Put to Amorim that Mainoo already looks very good, he said: “Yeah, but I think that is also a little bit the problem.

“When I see Kobbie Mainoo, I see a lot of talent. But in the way I see it – I could be wrong, that’s for sure – I see some things that Kobbie Mainoo has to improve.

“The pace during the game, he has qualities that we can use, like I said in build-up he needs to improve. Near the box he has a lot of talent and that’s why he did a very good game in the Europa League in that position (at FCSB).

“When I see Kobbie Mainoo, I see not as a full player in the moment because he’s 19 and if I say to Kobbie, ‘no, you are done, you are the final player’, I think I am not helping Kobbie. That’s all.”

While Mainoo returns to the fold, Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Jonny Evans and Ayden Heaven remain on the sidelines through injury.

Matthijs de Ligt and Toby Collyer are also out of Thursday’s first leg against Lyon.

“Matta has a problem in his foot,” Amorim added. “We are trying to assess. We still don’t have the data that he can return. Toby has a small issue in his leg, so we hope to have him in a few weeks.”