Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has cited three other academy players as examples to defend his decision not to play Kobbie Mainoo.

Amorimdiscussed the form of Harry Amass, Chido Obi, and Toby Collyer ahead of the Red Devils’ Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Monday night.

Man Utd: Pros and cons of playing Mainoo

• Pro: Keep fans happy
• Con: Casemiro, Fernandes working well together
• Pro: Secure future of promising academy star
• Con: Doesn’t fit 3-4-2-1 system

We’re not convinced Amorim is picking his battles very wisely.

He explained why Mainoohas barely featured this season: the 20-year-old is competing for a starting spot with Man Unitedcaptain and Amorim’s key player, Bruno Fernandes.

Amorim believes Fernandes and Mainoo cannot coexist in a midfield two, which is a fair assessment. The former needs a more defensive-minded partner, and Casemiro complements him well.

It’s a shame Mainoo is playing so little under the Portuguese head coach, and supporters are understandably upset that his progress is being stalled. Many fear selling such a promising academy graduate, which could happen in January.

Amorim has faced criticism for his treatment of the England international, with Paul Scholes’ recent comments prompting questions from journalists during a pre-match press conference.

READ:?Amorim responds to Scholes’ claim that he isn’t ‘the right man’ for Man Utd and Mainoo dig

Amorim’s drags down academy players

The United boss justified his decision to continuously bench Mainoo by citing other academy players who are currently struggling.

Some might argue Amorim has thrown youngsters Collyer, Obi, and Amass under the bus to defend himself. We wouldn’t go as far as to say it was an ‘attack’. And he definitely wasn’t on a ‘rampage’.

Collyer is currently injured at loan club West Brom after making just a handful of first-team appearances last season. Amass is performing well at Championship bottom-club Sheffield Wednesday, and Obi has struggled playing for United’s Under-21s.

In an effort to rationalise keeping Mainoo on the bench, Amorim said:?“He (Collyer) played (for the United first team). He’s from the academy. He played here.

“He went to West Bromwich. He’s not playing. He played for Manchester United. So sometimes it’s not because he’s from the academy or whatever.

“It’s the situation, what’s happened. I don’t know what is going to be the future (for Mainoo). Let’s see after this match.

“Amass is now struggling in the Championship. Chido is not always a starter in the Under-21s.

“All these guys played when a lot of people were saying sack the manager!”

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United legends Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, and Nicky Butt have all claimed that Mainoo – who has zero Premier League starts this season – should leave Old Trafford for the good of his career.

“Sometimes they don’t have all the information and they see Manchester United with the standards that they lived here, always winning. So it’s hard for them to see their club in this situation,” Amorim said.

“I take that naturally. It’s a fact that me as a manager of Manchester United, I think we are underachieving. We should have more points, especially this season.

“The problem is that me, as a manager, I’m not doing good enough and I can accept that. So that is the only problem. Not winning is the issue.

“If I’m winning I can go to the games on a horse, arrive there, play with just two defenders and everything will be fine.

“At Sporting there was no issue because we were winning all the time. So I understand and that’s okay.”

Amorim continued:?“No, I didn’t speak with him, not about that (transfer interest). I had some conversations with him, especially last year, and with other players, but not about that subject.

“The team comes first and I will be really pleased if Kobbie comes to talk to me about that. I just want my players happy, and I understand that every individual has their goals.

“The problem is that we are playing with two midfielders and you guys see Kobbie in a different way than I’m seeing him. Maybe if we play with three midfielders, Kobbie will have more minutes.”

??? Ruben Amorim: “Harry Amass is struggling in the Championship”

Harry Amass in the Championship: pic.twitter.com/ABW9Fw6k5s

— The #EFL Zone (@TheFLZone) December 15, 2025

Kobbie Mainoo to Napoli?

The United hierarchy, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have put their faith in Amorim to restore the glory days at Old Trafford, and essentially choosing him over Mainoo is another huge display of loyalty to the current project.

Mainoo will attract more interest in January after failing to secure a loan move last summer, with Italian champions Napoli reportedly leading the race.

Napoli signed Scott McTominay from United in the 2024 summer transfer window. The Scotland international has benefited massively from the move, going on to win Serie A Most Valuable Player for the champions.

Mainoo will surely look at McTominay’s success in Italy and think he could enjoy similar progress.

However, the reality of football is that he may go to Napoli, play sparingly, and only get opportunities if Fernandes is injured or leaves United.

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