Every word of Ruben Amorim’s Wolves pre-match press conference
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Ruben Amorim says he will not pick Kobbie Mainoo for United when he doesn’t believe he is the best option.
Amorim was speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference ahead of Monday’s trip to Molyneux to face Wolves. The presser took place immediately after the West Ham post-match conference, but was embargoed until this lunchtime.
The first question was about the fact that there are only four squad members who have not started a match this season – Tom Heaton, Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo. Can he understand Mainoo’s frustration?
“I see, I see it and I just want to win,” Amorim answered. “I try to put the players. I don’t look who it is. I don’t care about that. I’m just trying to put the best players on the pitch. You have Ugarte that played two games. One of them, Casa, was out. Bruno is always fit. He’s the guy that is doing his position, so maybe it has to do with that.”
Would Bryan Mbeumo’s trip to AFCON provide an opportunity?
“I don’t know, guys,” he replied. “It’s the same question. I don’t know what is going to happen. It depends. I see the training, I see it’s the best thing for the team, I will put it. That is the only way I know how to respond to that.”
Speaking about Monday’s opponents, a reporter asked Amorim how important it is “not to take the fact that they’ve not won a game this season for granted because you just played 18th?”
“Everything can happen, and that will change;” he said. “There is no team in the Premier League history that didn’t win one game. It can be any game. We need to try to improve, to rest the players, work really well, and prepare a tough match because with us, it’s always a tough match.”
Simon Stone of the BBC then asked “Do you understand why we ask about Kobbie? Because he’s homegrown, because he’s an England international.”
The head coach replied “of course, I understand.”
“My job is to answer, but I’m trying to answer always the same thing. You ask me always the same thing. I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie. He starts for England, but that doesn’t mean that I need to put Kobbie when I feel that I shouldn’t put Kobbie. So it’s my decision.”
Stone followed this up with the statement “For all you say about the academy, you don’t actually trust the academy.”
Amorim asked “why?”
“Because you never pick any players from there,” Stone answered.
“Any players? We have Kobbie Mainoo,” the boss answered as he started to appear cross. “But Lacy, in difficult situations… Lacy, sometimes when Bryan is not there, I put Amad because I have other wing-backs to play. Sometimes it’s hard. You are asking me why I don’t put Lacy to play when I have other guys that are international and they are also on the bench. So I try to put the best guys, the prepared guys for this moment of the club, and try to win a game. That’s the only thing, guys.”
More to follow, refresh the page momentarily …
Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images
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