Ruben Amorim has been warned that Kobbie Mainoo is ‘confused’ by his tactics at Manchester United.

Mainoo broke into the United team last season, establishing himself as one of their best central midfielders. But under Amorim’s management, Mainoo has been pushed further forward, recently operating as a centre forward in the defeat to Crystal Palace.

While Rasmus Hojlund replaced him in that role for the FA Cup win over Leicester, Mainoo was still selected in a more advanced No.10 position. But it was another disappointing evening for the 19-year-old, who failed to have a shot or create a chance and had just four touches inside the Foxes’ box.

That latest underwhelming showing has seen former Chelsea star Tony Cascarino raise concerns about Amorim’s management of the youngster. He believes that the United boss is giving his young charge too much to think about.

“When he [Mainoo] first came into the Man United team, I thought he really did it at a breeze,” he told talkSPORT. “It was quite comfortable for him, he felt confident on the ball, he knew what he was wanting to try and achieve.

“Gets him in the England squad, does really well in the Euros, plays well, doesn’t look out of place, really high standard. I’m watching Kobbie Mainoo last night, and it’s not on him, I’m putting this on the manager and the coaching team around him.

“I think he looks a confused footballer now. Because Kobbie is going backward too often. I think he feels he’s afraid to lose the ball, and that’s what can happen when you get into a really technical setup.

“Which is what Amorim is trying to achieve. I’m watching Kobbie Mainoo, and I think he doesn’t really know what he’s meant to do now. I feel sorry for him because he’s 19, and he’s learning on the job.

“When he first broke in, everything about his game was spot on. He’s gone from a central midfielder, to an attacking midfielder to a centre forward. He’s the future of Manchester United. He’s in a position that isn’t natural for him.”

Questions about Amorim’s use of Mainoo were raised after the defeat to Palace last week. But the United boss insisted that he had faith that the England star could be a success in his more advanced role.

“Today, we choose to play with Kobbie [Mainoo] to use the characteristics of Kobbie. It’s not nothing against Rasmus or Josh. And, sometimes, the team scores goals by creating situations, to use the right characteristics,” Amorim said after last week’s loss.

“It doesn’t mean if you play with two strikers you are going to score more goals. So I think it’s a problem for the team and we have spoken about that all the time. We need to improve our performance in every aspect of the game, especially scoring goals.”