Despite only securing eight wins in his 20 Premier League matches at Old Trafford, Manchester United fans have shown considerable patience with Ruben Amorim. The jeers from the home crowd following a draw against struggling West Ham United were notably subdued. However, one issue that threatens to erode the support for the underperforming United manager is his handling of Kobbie Mainoo.

Mainoo, formerly a big player for England and the best man on the pitch in an FA Cup final’s best player, is still only 20 years old. Reacting to Amorim’s claim that Mainoo was being treated equally to other squad members, Paul Scholes took to social media to express his disagreement and said: “B******t. The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can’t control a game of football. Hate seeing home grown players leave but it is probably best for him now, enough is enough.”

It’s difficult to find a United fan who supports a selection policy that has seen Mainoo fail to start a single Premier League match this season. Regardless of what figures like Scholes say, it’s clear that Amorim is not fazed by public opinion, reiterating that Mainoo isn’t performing well enough in training to warrant significant playing time.

A frustrated Amorim stated: “You always ask me the same thing. I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie. He starts for England. But that does not mean I need to put Kobbie (in the team) when I feel I shouldn’t put Kobbie (in the team).”

Mainoo stands out as one of the rare players in United’s first-team who hasn’t yet featured from the start in a Premier League match. When questioned about whether he grasped why the homegrown talent might feel disheartened by his current role in the squad, Amorim was forthright.

The United manager replied: “I see it. I see it and just want to win. I just put the players (in the team) – I don’t look who it is. I don’t care about that. I just try to put the best players on the pitch.

“You have (Manuel) Ugarte that played two games – one of them, Case (Casemiro) was out. Bruno (Fernandes) is always fit. He’s the guy that is doing his (Mainoo’s) position so maybe it has to do with that.”

Numerous pundits and fans might interpret that answer as evidence of Amorim’s rigid tactical approach, but the Portuguese manager may need to show flexibility when Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo depart for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Could this present Mainoo with an opportunity to reclaim his place? “I don’t know, I don’t know,” sighed Amorim. “It’s the same question. I don’t know what is going to happen. It depends. If I see in training that it is the best thing, I will put (do) it. That is the only way I know how to respond to that.”

Following the frustration of surrendering a late equaliser against West Ham, Amorim leads his team to Wolves on Monday evening to meet a side still searching for their maiden Premier League triumph this campaign. Rob Edwards’ outfit has managed just two points from 14 matches.

However, Amorim issued a cautionary note: “Everything can happen and that will change. There is no team in the history of the Premier League that didn’t win one game.

“It can be any game. So we need to try to improve, rest the players, work really well and prepare for a tough match because with us it’s always a tough match.”