Ruben Amorim is overlooking one member of his squad due to 'personal issue' with the player, claims former Manchester United star

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been accused of 'overlooking' a current member of his squad because of a 'personal' issue by a former Red Devils player.

Amorim continues to come under scrutiny over his role at the club, having struggled to make am impression since replacing Erik ten Hag as boss last season.

United are 10th in the Premier League table, but beat Sunderland 2-0 last time out to earn a reprieve having suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Brentford the week prior.

Still, United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly backed Amorim, pointing to the fact that some managers take time to make an impression and that he intends to give the Portuguese just that in the hope that he will prove to be one of those cases.

That could be bad news for one star in particular. Kobbie Mainoo, a key figure under Erik ten Hag and also Gareth Southgate in the back-end of his England reign, has struggled for game time under Amorim so far.

And there is a reason for that, according to former United defender Paul Parker. Parker has claimed that the lack of game time is nothing to do with the midfielder's footballing ability - but rather his relationship with Amorim. 

'We have to ask why Mainoo hasn't been used in that midfield,' Parker said, speaking to MyBettingSites.co.uk. 'Somewhere along the line because I've been looking at it, it has to be personal. It has to be personal and the truth has to be told somewhere.

'He doesn't like him or he doesn't like him as a player. It doesn't make any sense at all. You don't have to fall into the trap of playing a local boy because he's a local boy. But sometimes when you look at the quality of the player, he went to the Euros and played more football than he or fans expected and he did very well.'

Mainoo has played just 113 minutes in the Premier League this season. He has made just one start, which came in the Carabao Cup defeat by League Two Grimsby. 

After playing him in more advanced roles last season, Amorim suggested this term that the 20-year-old is in direct competition with Bruno Fernandes for his spot - a potential explanation for his lack of minutes.

'There's a talent there that's not being utilised,' Parker continued. 'It just doesn't make sense.

'Don't call every player elite but Mainoo is a very good player who can play in any position across the Man Utd midfield. He's a good runner, get him in and around the box. You ask him to sit in midfield and hold, he can do the job and fill space and stop passes from going through.

'If you ask him to bite, kick and scratch, that's not really him. Football's not like that anymore cause if it was Mainoo would have struggled a bit. In today's game, he's perfect.'