KOBBIE MAINOO could return from a calf injury in Darren Fletcher’s first match in caretaker charge of Manchester United.
Mainoo has missed the past four games, having last started in the League Cup second round defeat to Grimsby Town in August.
The 20-year-old has not started in the Premier League since United’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham on May 11.
Mainoo and former United coach Ruben Amorim were involved in a shouting match towards the end of last season and Mainoo started in 16 of the Portuguese’s 63 games in charge.
Fletcher revealed that Mainoo would be assessed ahead of United’s Premier League trip to Burnley on Wednesday night.
“Kobbie actually did the part of the session today,” Fletcher said. “But he’s going to have to be assessed tomorrow, so that was part of the plan.”
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Having been installed as interim head coach on Monday morning, Fletcher has prioritised speaking with several United players.
Fletcher switched from first-team coach to under-18 coach in the summer, so has had little dialogue with United’s summer signings Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens.
“I have had conversations with players and it’s been time-consuming,” Fletcher added, “so I actually plan to have more conversations.
“Maybe my first experience in the first days of Manchester United, you don’t have as much time as you think.
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“So in my head, I had these plans of speaking to loads of players and it didn’t pan out that way.
“I had a conversation with Bruno because that’s important because he’s a captain and I wanted to speak to him.
“And actually I focused on a couple of players who I don’t know so well. So Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko.
“Senne, I actually had a conversation with him not too long ago, but those two I focused on because I’ve not really got a relationship with them and I wanted to get to know them and I wanted them to get to know me.
“So the others I know well, I’ve had a relationship with them in the past, so I focused on those two and obviously the captain Bruno.
“And then as game time gets closer tomorrow, there’ll be some individual chats and meetings and just chatting to them in general around the training ground, around the canteen and things like that.
“I think it’s really important.”
Ruben Amorim SACKED
Ruben Amorim has been SACKED as manager of Manchester United!
The Portuguese boss has been involved in a war of words with the club hierarchy in recent days, hitting out at transfer policy and his postition as ‘coach’ rather than ‘manager’.
Now he is gone – with the likes of Gareth Southgate and Enzo Maresca among the favourites to take over at Old Trafford.
Man Utd currently sit sixth in the table but Amorim hardly set the world alight at the club.
In fact, he leaves with the WORST win rate in the Premier League of any permanent boss – just 31.9 per cent.
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