Reuben Amorim revealed that Cobbie Mineu is fighting Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandez for the departure barth. Minee was left on the bench for two consecutive weeks during a 1-1 deadlock at United’s Fulham, with Amorim bringing in four defensive alternatives in the second term.
The United boss made one offensive change by introducing new striker Benjamin Sesco, but the 20-year-old and forward Joshu Azirudgie remained among the substitutes.
Mason Mount retreated to Central Midfield after Casemiro’s withdrawal, but the match was still scoreless. Defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte took the mount position in the 69th minute, with United leading 1-0.
Mainoo is scheduled to feature in Wednesday’s second round clash of Carabao Cup at Grimsby Town, but has only started 15 of Amorim’s 44 games.
Amorim prefers to deploy an offensive midfielder alongside defensive midfielder in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Fernandez remaining a guaranteed choice.
“He’s currently fighting for his position with Bruno,” Amorim explained of Mine. “And I changed two midfielders.
“I wanted to score a goal so I did Mason Mount (play) and when it changed, I felt the team needed to go back to one of the midfielders near Bruno.
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“So he (Mine) is supposed to be Manchester United and he needs to fight for his position with Bruno.
Since Rasmus Hojlund was dropped from Starting XI during the preseason, United managed one goal from open play with four fixtures.
Amorim chose a striker-free formation for his second consecutive Premier League match as Sesco was introduced in the second half, but United’s lonely strike came through Rodrigomniz’s own goal.
United claimed victory on two of their five pre-season encounters, and both wins came when Hozilund led the offense.
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Amorim rejected the suggestion that his players struggle to adapt to a fresh tactical approach without being recognized at the center.
“When you reach this level, I think that’s normal,” he added.
“Cunha can play as a striker and as a 10-year-old. In the final game with Mason Mount, I felt that the way I played could be more robust.
“So we try to change according to the outcome and opponent and win the game.”
