MANCHESTER, England — Ruben Amorim has played down the prospect of Manchester United strengthening their squad in the January window but insisted that he wants to keep his best players following speculation that Kobbie Mainoo could leave Old Trafford.
United’s precarious financial position means they would have to consider a serious bid for any member of the first team, as well as hampering attempts to bring in new players this month.
“I don’t remember saying clearly that I want new players,” Amorim told a news conference on Friday.
“What I said is sometimes the profile for this system is different and the players come here with a different idea of how to play. I don’t remember saying that so clearly that I want new players.”
Securing an exit route for Marcus Rashford in January would help United’s finances. So would allowing the likes of Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho to depart because of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules making sales of academy graduates particularly profitable.
Amorim was asked specifically about Mainoo’s future, and while the Portuguese coach said he wants to keep the England midfielder, he admitted the club’s financial situation could take a decision out of his hands.
“Our idea is always to keep the best players and the players we build for this club but we know what position the club is in at the moment,” Amorim said.
“We will see. I really like the players, especially the guys from the academy.
“I really love my players, I want to keep them, especially the talented ones. It’s a hard moment, I am really happy with Kobbie, he is improving.”
United face Arsenal in the FA Cup third round on Sunday looking to win at Emirates Stadium for the first time since January 2019.
Amorim has promised to pick his strongest team despite preparing for vital Premier League games against Southampton and Brighton next week.
“We want to continue [in the FA Cup],” Amorim said. “We know at this stage we have a really strong match but we want to win and continue to improve the team and the performance.”
He added that one change to the starting team that he could confirm was the inclusion of Altay Bayindir instead of André Onana.
