Ruben Amorim has criticised Manchester United’s young players for having a sense of ‘entitlement’, and told Kobbie Mainoo to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford.
Mainoo’s half-brother Jordan Mainoo-Hames stoked the tension between the England midfielder and United over his future and lack of playing time by wearing a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt at Monday’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth.
Amorim won’t take any action against Mainoo because of something a family member did, but urged the unhappy 20-year-old to ignore the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt who have advised him to leave United in January for the good of his career.
The United boss also took aim at Harry Amass and Chido Obi, who responded to Amorim’s observation last week that they have struggled this season by posting photos on social media aiming a subtle dig at him.
‘I think it is the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club,’ said Amorim. ‘Sometimes strong words is not bad words. Sometimes difficult moments is not a bad thing for the kids. We don’t need to be always with accolades in everything, in every situation. We are not helping.
‘Nowadays they speak and go against the club because they feel entitlement, and then we have legends of the club say, “if you don’t play, leave, because everyone is wrong”.
‘No. Let’s stay, let’s fight, let’s overcome. Maybe the manager is wrong. I have that feeling all the time that we have to fight against this feeling.
‘Sometimes I am the first to say that I am failing this club inside the pitch. I have that feeling we are not performing the way we should but outside the pitch I guarantee you I am not failing this club.
‘I think it is something in our club. The players sometimes forget what it means to play for Manchester United. We as a club sometimes forget who we are and that is the feeling I have.
‘I understand everything. It is the environment of the players, the kids. They feel free to reply to the manager with a picture. The door to my office is open, nobody is coming to talk to me and that is the way we can solve things. So I think we need to change as a club.’
Amorim brushed off the T-shirt protest and said it wouldn’t have any bearing on his team selection as he chooses between Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte to replace the suspended Casemiro at Aston Villa on Sunday.
‘It was not Kobbie who wore the T-shirt,’ said the United boss. ‘He is not going to start because of the T-shirt, or go to the bench because of it. He is going to play if he is the right player to play.
'I am not going to do something to Kobbie because someone in his family is doing something. If he is going to play he is going to play, if he is not going to play he is not going to play.’