Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has disclosed that midfielder Mason Mount missed the fixture Wolves owing to a “small” injury concern. Mount sustained the problem during the Newcastle clash and was withdrawn at half-time in the 1-0 win over the Magpies.

Joshua Zirkzee was drafted into the starting eleven in Mount’s absence, representing the sole change from the Newcastle victory. In his pre-match conversation with Sky Sports, Amorim said of Mount: “He felt something, but I think it’s small, I think it’s not going to take a long time, but we never know. He’s not ready for this game, but let’s focus on this game.”

Amorim surprised Newcastle manager Eddie Howe on Boxing Day by deploying a back four formation but Amorim switched back to a 3-4-3 in the first half against Wolves.

The Portuguese boss said of Zirkzee’s opportunity to prove his worth, before the Dutchman scored the opening goal against Wolves: “He just needs to do his part, show his talent, he’s a talented guy,” said Amorim. “He needs to step up in the duels, because the rest he has that, the fans love it, but just that – do his job and have fun.”

Despite United’s commanding 4-1 triumph at Molineux earlier this month, Amorim cautioned his squad against underestimating their opponents. “Completely different game,” he remarked about the Midlands outfit.

“We don’t know what kind of formation they’re going to play so we need to be ready for everything. It’s a different team, same responsibility. Man United, in our shirts, we need to perform and we need to win.”

When questioned about United’s tactical set-up, Amorim continued: “We are going to play with 11 players and the formation is not the important thing. The important thing is the spirit, our pace during the game and our formation can change during the game.”