Ruben Amorim braced for unhappy Man United stars to demand January transfer exit with exiled pair linked with moves away from Old Trafford - but insists outcasts should look to example set by Casemiro

Ruben Amorim is braced for his unsettled Manchester United stars to demand a move in the January transfer window.

United rejected Kobbie Mainoo's request to go out on loan before the summer window closed, and since then the England midfielder's only start this season came in the disastrous Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby.

Joshua Zirkzee is also known to be unhappy at his lack of first-team football, with the Netherlands international restricted to just five appearances off the bench this term.

Amorim knows that the frustration is even greater because both players will be desperate to represent their countries at the World Cup next summer.

'I don't know what is going to happen (in January),' said the United boss. 'A lot of things can happen, even in our club. You know that we have World Cup, some players are not playing, they will ask to leave, so I have to manage everything.

'Then we want to bring players that we can see have 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, 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.'

Amorim knows that one advantage of qualifying for Europe this season would be the increase in fixtures that would force him to rotate the squad and give other players a chance.

'We need to go to Europe, because of everything,' he said. 'Imagine for me to have Kobbie Mainoo with the minutes that he's playing, he needs more games for me to make a rotation.

'Because with one game it's really hard. I have to take out one of the guys that is playing to put in another. When you have more games, you can divide, you can manage the group in a different way.'

Amorim has tried to reassure his fringe players that they still have a role to play by using the example of Casemiro, who has won back a regular starting place after it appeared his United career might be over.

'First of all, they understand, I prove that anyone can play, and everyone has to do the same things,' he added. '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.

'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 bigger than just one game or one season. So they are part of our path.

'Then I show also to them that Casemiro was not part of the starting 11. 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.'