United draw up list of January replacements for key star they expect to ask for a transfer – report

Manchester United anticipate a lot of chatter regarding the future of Kobbie Mainoo leading up to the January transfer window. The Englishman, who not too long ago was the darling of both his club and country, has fallen well down the pecking order since Ruben Amorim’s arrival. So much so that the Englishman is yet to start a single game in the Premier League so far this season. And having lost his place in the England national team set-up, the Carrington graduate is keen to change this. He is desperate to play more so that he can make the cut for the World Cup. INEOS had already denied him an exit in the summer, and as per Teamtalk, the 20-year-old is expected to approach the co-owners yet again very soon. Crunch meeting regarding the future of Kobbie Mainoo A crunch meeting has been set up, and while Amorim does not want to lose him, a dry loan may yet be sanctioned as the Red Devils do not want to lose Kobbie Mainoo permanently. The report also mentions that the 20-time English league champions will consider contingency plans in case their No.37 does leave in the winter. “Manchester United will consider potential contingency plans ahead of an anticipated transfer request from Kobbie Mainoo, TEAMtalk understands, and his potential exit could have huge ramifications for their January window. “We have consistently reported that Ruben Amorim and the club remain firm in their position that they do not want to let him leave the club this winter. “However, there is an acceptance behind the scenes that the situation is becoming complicated and that further discussions over his future are unavoidable. Contingency plans remain complicated to pull off “Man Utd set for crunch meeting amid Mainoo uncertainty. Ideally, United do not want to do any loan business but upcoming meetings will dictate their true policy for January. “There is an expectation that Mainoo will once again push for a move in an attempt to salvage his season. If this happens and United bow to his demands, the club will make sure they are well covered before allowing an exit to go ahead.” However, bringing in cover in midfield will be far from straightforward. After their splurge in the summer, INEOS hardly have the funds to launch assaults for their top targets — Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton, and Elliot Anderson. A market opportunity like Ruben Neves or Joao Gomes might be the club’s best bet as things stand, but even those deals are complicated to pull off. A very interesting January window awaits the club. Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25