Ruben Amorim has moved to end speculation over the futures of Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee as both players grow frustrated with their limited playing time.
Amorim indicated that the pair will not be allowed to leave Manchester United in January despite concerns about missing next summer’s World Cup.
Mainoo and Zirkzee have each been on the fringes of the squad this season, with neither establishing a regular starting place under the Portuguese.
Amorim indicated that Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee won’t be allowed to leave in the January transfer window despite both players unhappy over their lack of playing time ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Mainoo and Zirkzee were linked with loan moves to Napoli and Roma this summer as their frustration grew, but Amorim said: ‘I understand that but they are our players and we need everyone to have a good season.
‘I also know that in our club everything is a lot of noise. Players are not playing. They want to play, and there’s a World Cup. There are agents that listen to the players, talking all the time.’
Ruben Amorim has insisted that Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee will not be allowed to depart in January
Mainoo, 20, asked to leave on loan late in the summer window after struggling for opportunities but his request was blocked
Mainoo, 20, asked to leave on loan late in the summer window after struggling for opportunities but his request was blocked.
The midfielder has made five appearances from the bench in the Premier League so far.
Zirkzee, meanwhile, has played only 82 minutes across all competitions. The Dutch striker is keen to secure a role for his country at next summer’s tournament but faces a battle for minutes.
Asked whether he sympathised with their frustrations, Amorim reflected that the issue was inevitable at a club of United’s size. He stressed that squad depth must be maintained through a congested campaign.
‘No, like a lot of guys, he wants to play more,’ Amorim said when pressed on Mainoo’s situation before the Manchester derby last month. ‘I didn’t have a conversation with him before the window closed – I did this week.
‘Because I don’t want Kobbie Mainoo thinking that I was having any conversation with him just to hold on to him.
‘I don’t want that feeling. I believe a lot in Kobbie, but some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done (the finished article). I think he can do so much better, he can improve a lot.
‘I think for some guys it is enough (their talent), but for him it is not enough. Maybe it’s not fair, but I think I’m helping Kobbie Mainoo, and that’s it. He will have opportunities like the other guys.’
Zirkzee, meanwhile, has played only 82 minutes across all competitions. The Dutch striker is keen to secure a role for his country at next summer’s World Cup
Both players are expected to remain part of the first-team squad at least until the end of the season.
United face Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League, hoping to secure back-to-back wins for the first time this term.
