“Life looks completely different”: Fabrizio Romano reveals how this INEOS decision saved United millions in the market

Former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim’s treatment of Kobbie Mainoo was puzzling to say the least. There was an obvious gap at the base of the midfield, given Casemiro‘s tiring legs and Manuel Ugarte’s struggles. After being tried all over the pitch, it was decided that the Englishman would have to fight with club captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the starting XI. And the skipper hardly misses games, and hence, the Carrington graduate ended up starting zero Premier League games all season. Amorim’s poor treatment of Kobbie Mainoo The midfielder, desperate to make the cut for England’s World Cup squad, wanted to leave on loan, both in the summer and January. However, following an argument with director of football Jason Wilcox, Amorim was shown the door, and the England international’s fortunes changed almost overnight. Since Michael Carrick‘s arrival, the 20-year-old has started three back-to-back games in the league and has silenced his critics with mature displays alongside Casemiro. And as revealed by Fabrizio Romano on YouTube, the Stockport-born star was very close to joining Napoli in January. He was close to leaving in January “Life looks completely different for Kobbie Mainoo because Michael Carrick really trusts him. “Mainoo never wanted to leave United. He loves the club. He wanted to leave on loan to play regular football as he wanted consistency in terms of game time. “Yes, he would have left in January if Ruben Amorim had stayed. Napoli were in very advanced talks with the player.” Carrick’s arrival has changed things If Kobbie Mainoo would have left, United would have had to scramble for cover, and a replacement would have cost a bomb. INEOS’ decision to sack Amorim has been vindicated with United purring under Carrick and Mainoo pulling the strings from the middle of the park. Feature image Jan Kruger 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