Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim admits that tough tackling midfielder Kobbie Mainoo’s long-term future at the club may lie in being converted as a No 10.
The 19-year-old impressed – and scored – in their 2-0 victory over FCSB in the Europa League on Thursday night as United finished in third place to secure last 16 automatic qualification.
- ALSO READ: Amorim Rips Into Rashford After Fulham Win
- Amorim Admits Man United Regret After Brighton Defeat
United finished behind Lazio and Athletic Bilbao to seal their spot in the last-16 of the competition courtesy of strikes from Diogo Dalot in the 60th minute and Mainoo eight minutes later to avoid a two-legged play-off tie in the process.
The Portuguese mentor was blunt on how he believes Mainoo has ‘struggled’ with his defensive duties and will now be looking to develop him into an attack-minded midfielder.
“I can understand my players better – and put together the Kobbie position today,” Amorim said, according to Daily Mail.
“We need time to understand the players. He was struggling a lot defending as a midfielder. Now more as a No 10, you can feel it that he was so free, playing the ball near the box, and near the box he is really good, making the small connections.
“I need time and we need time to work with the players to understand what is the best position for them.
“In the second half, you can see the opponent getting tired, more slower when they covered the space,” added Amorim.
“We had more space with the players with Kobbie between the lines. One against one from Amad [Diallo], and the pace of [Alejandro] Garnacho, helped a lot. We managed to score two, we should score more.”
United have since been drawn against Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.