Kobbie Mainoo has to compete with Bruno Fernandes if he wants to get regular minutes in the Manchester United team of Ruben Amorim.
United has taken one point of their first two games of the Premier League season and lost 1-0 to Arsenal in Old Trafford and then 1-1 with Fulham in Craven Cottage.
Mainoo was an unused replacement in both competitions and the English International was associated with a transfer in the midst of suggestions that he does not fit into Amorim's 3-4-3 system.
Mainoo enjoyed a breakout campaign under Erik ten Hag in 2023-24, started 24 Premier League matches and scored what the winning goal turned out to be in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
The 20-year-old, however, found the regular game time difficult to come by since Amorim took the lead last November, so that only 18 league matches-12 started-under the Portuguese head coach while he did not register any targeted involvement.
Van Mainoo's 32 League outings under ten hag, were 31 starts and he contributed three goals and one assist.
And with Amorim determined to adhere to his preferred formation, he says that Mainoo must compete with Fernandes, who missed a fine of the first half in Fulham, for one of the two berths in midfield.
Amorim said about Mainoo: “He is now fighting for the position with Bruno.
“I changed two midfielders. I liked Mount there because we wanted to score a goal. When I changed it, I felt that the team had to return to a midfielder.
“So he just has to fight for the position with Bruno in training. As if it should be at Manchester United.”
Amorim used Fernandes and Mount as midfield pairs early in the second half in Fulham after withdrawing Casemiro and then introduced Manuel Ugarte next to his captain in the 69th minute.
Since Amorim took the lead over United, Mainoo has played 67% of his minutes in central midfield, spent 33% of his playing time in the front three.
In the meantime, Fernandes played 59% of his minutes under Amorim in the central midfield last season, but he started both games with this campaign in that role.
Mainoo could get a rare start when United Grimsby Town visits in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, with Burnley their next Premier League opponents on Saturday.