Amorim Accuses Man United's Academy Stars Of 'Entitlement': 'They Forget...'

Last Updated:December 19, 2025, 22:37 IST

Ruben Amorim criticizes Manchester United academy players like Harry Amass and Chido Obi for entitlement, while also responding to the 'Free Kobie Mainoo' t-shirt.

Kobie Mainoo's half-brother's viral T-shirt. (PC: Instagram)

The gap between Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim and the club’s academy players continues to widen. The Portuguese on Friday accused the young Reds of ‘entitlement’ for their indirect digs at his last week’s comments about their reduced game-time, saying they often ‘forget what it means’ to play for United.

Many in football would say that the best way to win over a club’s fans is to build teams around well-loved academy stars. Amorim hasn’t done that particularly well, and has not shied away from saying that the players he has to work with aren’t of the desired quality.

Pressed about the issue last week, he said Harry Amass was ‘struggling’ in the Championship, and pointed out that Chido Obi was not always a starter in United’s under-21s. The 18-year-olds both uploaded and then deleted Instagram story posts, hinting at their accolades: Amass’s was of him with a Player of the Month award, while Obi (who came from Arsenal’s academy last season)’s was of him celebrating a goal in August.

“I think it’s a little bit the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club," Amorim said. “Sometimes strong words are not bad words. Sometimes, difficult moments are not bad things for the kids. We don’t need to be always with accolades in everything, in every situation. The players sometimes forget about what it means to play for Manchester United. We as a club sometimes forget who we are," he said.

Amorim advised the youngsters to talk to him directly instead of the social media route.

“And that’s the feeling that I have. So I understand everything. It’s the environment, it’s the moment of the players, the kids. They feel entitled. They feel free to respond the manager with a picture… Nobody is coming to talk to me," he said. “And that is the way we can solve things. So I think we need to change first as a club. And then everything is going to change."

Amorim was also asked about another academy product, Kobie Mainoo, who has yet to start a Premier League game this season and has reportedly cleared his intention to leave on loan in January. While Mainoo has stayed away from social media theatrics, his half-brother wore a T-shirt to a game earlier this week that carried the message ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’.

“It was not Kobbie who wore the T-shirt," Amorim said. “He is not going to start because of the T-shirt but he is not going to the bench because of the T-shirt. He’s going to play if we feel that he is the right guy. That is not an issue."

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