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Man Utd fans stunned by Kobbie Mainoo’s body transformation since being out injured
Amorim gave an injury update on the midfielder at the weekend
MANCHESTER UNITED fans are convinced that Kobbie Mainoo put on some muscle while recovering from injury.
Mainoo has not appeared for United since February, having suffered a knock in training.
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He returned to the training pitch last week but Sunday's derby against Manchester City came too soon.
Now, the midfielder is gearing up for Thursday's Europa League clash with Lyon at the Groupama Stadium.
Mainoo was spotted in training on Wednesday morning.
And some fans believe the 19-year-old has built up some muscle.
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One person took to X to write: "Damn, bro was bulking up hard while away."
Another commented: "Is it me or does it look like he’s packed on more muscle?"
A third wrote: "Definitely has put on some muscle."
While a fourth said: "He's been in the gym then."
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Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim is delighted to see him back but told the midfielder not to go thinking he is the finished article yet.
The Portuguese coach said: “This is also a little bit the problem. When I see Kobbie, I see a lot of talent — but also some things that he has to improve.
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“During the game he has his qualities that we can use and, like I said, things he needs to improve on.
“Near the box he has a lot of talent and that’s why I think he’s done very well in the Europa League in that position as a No 10.
“So when I see him, I see him not as a full player at the moment.
“He’s 19 and if I say to Kobbie, ‘You are the final player’, I’m not helping him.”
Amorim must decide whether to start Mainoo in Lyon’s Groupama Stadium for a game that is huge to United’s hopes of salvaging their season.
He hopes the youngster’s versatility can be vital as they look to go all the way to Bilbao for the Europa League final next month.
Amorim admitted: “At this moment, we have to be careful with Kobbie, with his fitness. We need him fit and fresh.
“We are happy to have more options and with Kobbie, he can play in different positions. He’s already played as a six, an eight, as a ten. Yes, he can play as a ten.
“Of course we need to help him and understand him — a bit like Casemiro, he’s playing better because we are understanding better the way he plays.
“We can do that with Kobbie also because he has a lot of qualities. He’s really good on the ball and also really good near the opponent’s box.
“So we’ll try to find the right space for a player like him.”
The United head coach also revealed that Harry Maguire will be available despite being hauled off in the 58th minute against City.
He said: "Harry Maguire just had 60 minutes allowed from the medical department to play, so he's fit and ready to go. So we need to be careful on this.
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"No, it’s not an injury, it’s just [that] we had a time that we could use Harry without any danger.
"We cannot lose any more players, we have to try to divide the moments between the players. We have a really important game on Thursday."
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