The manager of Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, has provided an opportunity to the out of favour players Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee to move in January. Both frustrated by lack of playing time are looking to leave as a way of increasing their hope of being selected as part of the World Cup team by England and the Netherlands.
Up to this point, Mainoo and Zirkzee have been fighting minutes of this season. Zirkzee has played 82 minutes with Mainoo playing 93 minutes since he was brought in in August against Burnley. Their little participation has raised speculations that both might temporarily step aside though Amorim is keen to stress that interests of the club must come first.
Amorim has something to say about that as he said, I know what the World Cup is to players. I want to help them, however, the first thing comes the club. I will be delighted to be able to strike the balance between these two. Otherwise, I have to give priority to the team.
United will also be at risk of absenteeism in January during the Africa Cup of Nations. Players like Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui might also be unavailable and injury issues to the forwards, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha are another pressure. The conservative nature of the manager is meant to retain depth in the squad and at the same time ensure that the performance remains at high levels.
Today, United currently enjoys a five-match streak without any losses but it has displayed inconsistency as it lost the lead to Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break. Amorim thinks that a good performance against Everton would move the club to the resources of the fourth position, with the possibility of amazing turnaround of the previous year 15 th position.
With January coming, the interest is still towards the trade-off between player and club interests in terms of competitive interests. The transfer options between Mainoo and Zirkzee will presumably be determined by the position that United is currently struggling to find in the top four as well as the fact that the club must retain its squad cohesion.
