Ruben Amorim set to hand Kobbie Mainoo new role after admitting Man Utd midfielder has been 'struggling a lot defending'

After making his debut in the first team during the second half of the previous season, Mainoo was one of the few bright spots during the last few months of Erik ten Hag's tenure as manager. The Portuguese coach has now provided an explanation for why the midfield player has had difficulty getting playing time under his guidance after the Red Devils' 2-0 win over Steaua Bucuresti in the Europa League.

Speaking to the media, Amorim said: "The Kobbie position today, we need time to understand the players, he was struggling a lot defending as a midfielder.

"Now more as a ten you can feel that he was so free, playing the ball near the box is really good, the small connections. We need time to work with the players and understand the best positions for them."

Amorim is still trying to figure out the best positions for Manchester United stars as players like Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo continue to grow. The Red Devils seemed to grow into the clash against Steaua Bucuresti after the Portuguese coach brought on the duo. He opened up on the same and added: “We played quite well but a bit more slowly, also the opposition were really close in the first half and they covered all the spaces. They pressed the three defenders with just one player but we’ve managed to create some chances.

"We didn’t score but then, in the second half, you can see the opponents getting tired and slower when covering the space. We had more space with Kobbie between the lines and one-on-one with Amad and the pace of Alejandro Garnacho.

"I think it helped an awful lot. We managed to score two and we should score more. We had positions, sometimes four vs two, and we have to do more with this kind of play. It’s really massive for us. We are in the next stage, we are going to prepare for the next stage, but the most important thing now is to recover. Sunday, we have a game with our fans and we have to be ready for that.”

Amorim's comments may now suggest that Mainoo will be shifted into the role of one of the number 10 positions alongside Bruno Fernandes, who is likely to occupy the second number 10 spot in the 3-4-2-1 system that Manchester United deploy under the Portuguese. However, it is likely that Mainoo may not be his first choice for the spot with Diallo also preferring the role.