Amorim: It's hard to leave players out

The Reds missed out on a place in the UEFA Champions League when beaten by Tottenham Hotspur in last season's Europa League final and, after exiting the Carabao Cup at Grimsby Town, there have not been opportunities to hand more minutes to players.

Hence, the boss has reiterated it is an absolute priority to qualify for European competition next term, as United chase a fourth successive win, in Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest.

One thing that has pleased Ruben, though, is the way those not in the starting XI are supporting their colleagues, even if he understands their desire for more playing time.

"We need to go to Europe because of everything," he said, when addressing journalists in advance of the City Ground encounter.

"Our club needs to be in Europe, it's hard to have a very, very good squad. Imagine for me to have Kobbie Mainoo with that [many] minutes that he's playing, he needs more games for me to make a rotation because, with one game [a week], it's really hard.

"I have to take one of the guys that is playing to put another. When you have more games, you can divide, you can manage the group in a different way.

"We are trying to use the time that we have to train to be a better team, we need to be prepared in the future to have European games. But the target doesn't change. We have to go to Europe. To be in the top four is really hard for our moment, but we never know, we just need to focus on winning the next one."

Amorim is also realistic to know the opening of the transfer window will lead to more speculation around outgoings, as well as any incomings, with the World Cup approaching at the end of the campaign.

Yet he has rightly pointed out that things can change very quickly in football and, again, has pointed to Casemiro as an example to his colleagues.

"Around the training ground, the mood seems so much brighter than it was," he said. "First of all, they understand, I prove that anyone can play, and everyone has to do the same things, not in the same way, but there are some things that everyone, no matter what is your name, you have to do it to play for Manchester United.

"And that can help to manage. I try to explain all the time to the players that we are not just playing today, not just this year, but then the next seasons. So they feel that they are part of the journey, and that we are part of something more bigger than just one game or one season.

"So they are part of our path. And then I show also to them that Casemiro was not part of the starting XI, he was behind, and then he fought. He won the place, and if you win the place, you will be playing. So I think that helped them to understand that I'm trying to be fair, and they are part of something very special that is very important to us."

It is understandably very difficult for Amorim to predict what will happen in the new year but did hint that there is likely to be some movement.

"A lot of things can happen," he suggested. "Even in our club, and you know that we have the World Cup, some players are not playing, they will ask to leave, so I have to manage everything.

"And then we want to bring players [in], everyone here, we want to bring players that we can see a big future in Manchester United. We are not just buying one guy, because now we feel, in December, that we need this kind of player for now.

"No, it's going to be [that] we want to buy players that we know we are not going to change a lot of times. So that is our idea. So I don't know what is going to happen but, of course, we think about how we can improve the team, and January, the window is open, we can do something."