Ruben Amorim has told Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee that he will put the club first when it comes time to decide if they can leave Manchester United in January.
Both Mainoo and Zirkzee have struggled for game time so far this season and are keen to explore moves away from Old Trafford ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
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But while the pair haven’t started often, they are regularly part of Amorim’s matchday squads.
And the Portuguese coach says that he won’t let any player leave if it’s not in United’s interests.
“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,” said Amorim. “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 to be 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.”
Separate to Mainoo’s future, United are expected to sign at least one central midfielder next summer.
It’s a problem area for Amorim, who’s relying heavily on 33-year-old Casemiro alongside Bruno Fernandes. Casemiro has become particularly important because of Manuel Ugarte‘s dip in form.
Amorim knows Ugarte well from their time together at Sporting CP and said the Uruguayan is “struggling” to adapt to the Premier League.
“You can sense that a lot of very good players come here, and sometimes they struggle,” said Amorim. “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.”
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