Amorim says Mainoo must dislodge Fernandes to play for United

• Kobbie Mainoo has yet to feature this season and is competing directly with Bruno Fernandes for minutes.
• Manager Ruben Amorim prioritised Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte in midfield changes during the Fulham draw.
• Amorim insists Mainoo must prove himself in training, with Fernandes considered undroppable.

Kobbie Mainoo’s path into Manchester United’s first team has hit a significant hurdle after manager Ruben Amorim admitted the young midfielder is battling captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the side.

The 20-year-old England international has been left on the sidelines for United’s opening two Premier League fixtures, watching the 2-1 defeat at Arsenal and the 1-1 draw with Fulham from the bench. Despite Fernandes missing a first-half penalty at Craven Cottage, Amorim kept faith with his captain and reshuffled others rather than turning to Mainoo.

When Casemiro was withdrawn, Amorim introduced striker Benjamin Sesko and dropped Mason Mount deeper into midfield. Later he replaced Mount with Manuel Ugarte and then looked to defenders Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven in search of a late winner. Mainoo was overlooked throughout.

“He is fighting for the position now with Bruno,” Amorim said after the match. “I changed two midfielders. I like Mason Mount there because we want to score a goal. And then when I changed it, I felt that the team needed to return to one holding midfielder. So he just needs to fight for the position with Bruno in training. Like it should be at Manchester United.”

The comments underline the challenge Mainoo faces in breaking into a side where Fernandes is seen as undroppable. At best, the midfielder looks set for a run-out in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Grimsby as Amorim seeks to give minutes to squad players.

United had led at Fulham through a Rodrigo Muniz own goal, but substitute Emile Smith Rowe equalised just minutes after coming on, converting Alex Iwobi’s cross to seal a deserved point for the hosts.

Fulham defender Kenny Tete praised his side’s resilience after the comeback. “I think we can be happy with a point,” Tete told the club website. “I think we had more chances at the end. Overall a point against Man United is not bad. We grew so much in the game and after they scored we had to push. We scored and then had more control. We know we have a good team and we know we can hurt teams.”

For Mainoo, the message is clear: to feature in Amorim’s plans, he must raise his level in training and somehow convince his manager that he can challenge the influence of Fernandes at the heart of United’s midfield.