Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has condemned the "feeling of entitlement" at the club and said players should use criticism and difficult moments as fuel to prove him wrong. This week Amorim was confronted with a 'Free Kobbie Mainoo' T-shirt, being worn by the midfielder's half-brother, in response to the England star's repeated absence from the starting line-up.

And youngsters Harry Amass and Chido Obi posted – then deleted – pictures on social media highlighting their achievements after Amorim suggested last week they were not doing well. Club legends Rio Ferdinand, Nicky Butt, and Paul Scholes have said that Mainoo would be better off leaving the club. But Amorim feels this is the wrong approach.

His thinking is more in line with former skipper Roy Keane, who says Mainoo should force his way into Amorim's plans. "There is a feeling of entitlement we have in our club," he said in a news conference on Friday. "Sometimes, difficult moments is not a bad thing for the kids. We don't always need accolades in everything. We are not helping.

"Nowadays, they [players] speak and go against the club because they feel entitled. Then, we have legends of the club saying 'if you don't play, leave, because everyone is wrong'. "No. Let's stay. Let's fight. Let's overcome. The door to my office is open. That is the way we can solve things [but] nobody is coming to talk to me."

Amorim added that the players "sometimes forget what it means to play for Manchester United". "I am the first to say I am failing this club inside the pitch but outside I guarantee I am not failing this club," the 40-year-old said. "I understand everything, it is the environment of the players, the kids, they feel free to reply to the manager with a picture."

Amorim has not spoken to Mainoo about his half-brother's behaviour at Old Trafford during Monday's 4-4 draw with Bournemouth. He is adamant the 20-year-old's chances of a first Premier League start of the season will not be affected by it. United are currently without suspended midfielder Casemiro, injured defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, plus Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui, who are on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

"It was not Kobbie who wore the T-shirt," said Amorim. "He is not going to start because of the T-shirt or go to the bench because of it. "He is going to play if he is the right player to play."

Amorim did not just have to deal with issues around younger Man Utd players as he spoke to the media before Sunday's trip to Aston Villa (16:30 GMT). He also needed to deal with skipper Bruno Fernandes' explosive interview with the Portuguese football federation in which he spoke about his "hurt" at United being willing to sell him in the summer and his belief some of his team-mates do not "value" or "defend" the club the way he does.

Amorim said it was down to Fernandes to explain the reasoning behind his sentiments, but feels the 31-year-old sets an example for others to follow. "He needs to answer to that, not me," said Amorim. "But he is a big example. He puts everything on the line in every training [session] and every match. He is a special character."

During a racing trip to Bahrain last month, legendary former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said it could be 10 or 11 years before the club ends its wait for a Premier League title, which already stretches back 12 years to the Scot's last success in 2013. Despite a general inconsistency across the league this season, few expect United to do better than scrape into a Champions League spot, which would be a year ahead of schedule.

Amorim does not know if he will deliver the elusive silverware. However, he is confident Ferguson's bleak assessment will not become reality. "He understands football more than me, especially English football but I think we will not take that long to win a league," he added. "I don't know which manager [it will be] but I truly believe we are going to fight for the title in the next years."