Ruben Amorim has revealed Kobbie Mainoo is battling Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes for a starting berth. Mainoo was left on the bench for the second consecutive week during United’s 1-1 stalemate at Fulham, with Amorim bringing on four defensive substitutes in the second period.
The United boss made just one attacking alteration by introducing new striker Benjamin Sesko, whilst the 20-year-old and forward Joshua Zirkzee stayed amongst the substitutes.
Mason Mount retreated into central midfield after Casemiro’s withdrawal, with the match still scoreless. Defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte took Mount’s place in the 69th minute with United leading 1-0.
Mainoo is expected to feature in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup second round clash at Grimsby Town, though he has only started 15 of Amorim’s 44 matches at the helm.
Amorim prefers deploying an attacking midfielder alongside a defensive midfielder in his 3-4-2-1 formation, with Fernandes remaining an assured selection.
“He’s fighting for the position now with Bruno,” Amorim explained regarding Mainoo. “And I changed two midfielders.
“I let Mason Mount [play] there because we want to score a goal, and when I changed, I felt the team needed to return to one holding midfielder near Bruno.
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“So he [Mainoo] just needs to fight for the position with Bruno, as it should be at Manchester United. [Sometimes] he’s going to play with Bruno, but at the moment he’s fighting in training with Bruno for the position.”
Since Rasmus Hojlund was dropped from the starting XI during pre-season, United have managed just one goal from open play across four fixtures.
Amorim opted for a strikerless formation for the second consecutive Premier League match as Sesko was introduced in the second half, but United’s solitary strike came via a Rodrigo Muniz own goal.
United claimed victory in two of their five pre-season encounters, with both triumphs coming when Hojlund spearheaded the attack.
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Amorim dismissed suggestions that his players have struggled to adjust to a fresh tactical approach without a recognised centre-forward.
“I think it’s a normal thing when you reach this level,” he added.
“Cunha can play as a striker and as a 10. I felt that during these last games with Mason Mount, sometimes we are more robust in the way we play.
“So we are going to change according to the result and the opponent and try to win games.”
