Manchester United’s Rubén Amorim suggested that Kobbie Mainoo “can change position” after the midfielder “was so happy on the pitch” during the club’s UEFA Europa League win over FCSB on Thursday.
The 19-year-old England international was deployed in a more attacking role in Bucharest as the Red Devils confirmed their progression to the round-of-16, and it was a decision that paid off: Mainoo registered the assist for Diogo Dalot’s opener, before bagging a goal of his own eight minutes later.
Speaking after the match, Amorim brushed off suggestions that the midfielder’s improved performances are a result of ongoing contract negotiations and instead quipped that “the key point is the position.”
“Everybody in England sees him as a very, very good player. He played in the European Championship final, so I think it’s more the position than he’s not comfortable because before he was always playing and now sometimes [he] plays, sometimes doesn’t play. Maybe there is something to do with that, but I think the key point is the position,” he told reporters in the pre-Crystal Palace section of Thursday’s press conference.
“It’s different for him, it demands a lot from him and today, I feel him happier to play [as an attacking midfielder]. Simple as that. I don’t look about just the movements, the way he touches the ball, I feel it just watching him, he was so happy on the pitch. That is important for me because if they are happy, they can play better. So, I think he can change position.”
Thursday’s win in Romania was a much-needed positive for Manchester United after a tricky start to life in England for Amorim – and another standout performer was Alejandro Garnacho, who influenced the game well after coming off the bench at half-time.
Quizzed on the forward’s improvements in recent weeks, Amorim admitted: “He changed in everything: the approach when I talk with him, the way he recovers. He understands sometimes that I’m a different coach, that I’m demanding in my way, sometimes it’s hard the first impact. It’s a different kind of coach and he understands that it’s never in a bad way, it’s always for him, but I’m a different person.”
“I think all the merit is for Garnacho and he is improving, and we want to continue to improve with Garnacho. Today, he understood the position. The moments of playing inside, outside, the connection with Dalot, I think he’s improving a lot.”