Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has given an update on the future of Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee as both players struggle for game time.
Mainoo and Zirkzee are both yet to start for the Red Devils this season and have been linked with winter exits in a bid to play regularly in the second half of the season ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
While Amorim has previously suggested both players will not be allowed to leave, the Portuguese manager has offered a fresh update.
Asked if both players will be allowed to leave in January, Amorim note that he wants to help them out but the club’s needs must come first.
Joshua Zirkzee is substituted and replaced by Kobbie Mainoo during a match . (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
“I was a football player,” he told reporters. “I understand everything, and I want to help my players in every situation. I understand the frustration of some players, seeing the World Cup is there. I know what it means. But the first thing is that the club comes first. If I can help the club and the players, I will be happy. If not I have to think about the team.”
Mainoo has managed just 259 minutes for Manchester United so far this season, while Zirkzee has made only five substitute appearances and hasn’t featured since the win over Brighton in October.
Their limited game time at the club have seen them lose their place in the national team setup. However, with Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui set to play at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in December and striker Benjamin Sesko currently injured, Mainoo and Zirkzee could get more minutes.
