The Kobbie Mainoo saga has taken another twist after the unhappy Manchester United midfielder was ruled out of today’s game at Aston Villa having picked up a calf injury in training.
Mainoo was in contention to make his first Premier League start of the season following 11 appearances off the bench after Casemiro was suspended for the game at Villa Park.
But sources revealed that the 20-year-old sustained a small injury at Carrington on Saturday and he has been left out of Ruben Amorim’s squad, with Manuel Ugarte taking Casemiro’s place.
Mainoo’s future at Old Trafford has dominated the build-up to the game after his half-brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames wore a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt at Monday’s 4-4 draw at home to Bournemouth.
The England midfielder is keen to move in January – with Napoli at the front of the queue to take him on loan – after United blocked his attempts to leave last summer.
Amorim has urged Mainoo to stay and compete for a place, saying: ‘Kobbie needs to fight for his job. I think that it’s not a bad thing to be on the bench of Manchester United when you are 20-years-old. I remember Ronaldo was on the bench, Rooney was on the bench sometimes, Veron was not playing.
‘I’m not trying to say to Kobbie, “you are a big player here, let’s put him on the bench to show something”. No, what I’m saying is the opposite. I'm just not putting Kobbie in sometimes because I understand that this is not the right guy to start the game. Maybe the next game, Sunday, he is going to start.
‘If he plays well, is going to show everyone “this guy cannot take me out of the team”, and I will be so happy.
‘So I don't care. I don't want to show nothing to anyone. I'm just saying that I'm trying to win games and to show to the players that if you do the things right, you will play no matter what the name.
‘So let's continue in trying to avoid the nonsense and the noise. I just want to want to help the team to win and to help Kobbie to be a better player.’