David Tully Oct 11th 2025
Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo won’t stay at the club if Ruben Amorim remains the manager beyond the end of the season, according to ESPN reporter Rob Dawson.
The journalist has inside sources at the Red Devils, and speaking to The United Stand YouTube channel, Dawson said the 20-year-old won’t accept being a bit-part player at Old Trafford for much longer:
“I can see that [him leaving next summer, if Amorim is still at Old Trafford] because he will be looking at it, probably will be looking at it right now, and his representatives will be looking and saying ‘we’ve had 10 months of this. I’ve not played’.”
“I’m not even sure his best position exists in that system. So, it’s not as if I don’t think I think Ruben likes him. I think he likes him as a player, but his best position does not exist in that system. And Ruben has been pretty clear that he’s not changing his system. So then what does Kobbie do? It’s only natural that he’s going to think, you know, ‘maybe I could move on and do something different’.”
Mainoo could join 2 other former Man United players in Italy
Chelsea and Tottenham have been mentioned as potential suitors, but there have also been several reports claiming that the England international would prefer a move abroad if he is forced to leave Manchester.
Serie A champions Napoli are believed to be keen on snapping up Mainoo and Dawson thinks it is a genuine option for the midfielder:
“There was interest from Napoli in the summer. I’m led to believe they would be there again in January if there is an option to do a deal. He’s probably looked at what Scott [McTominay]’s done at Napoli, [what] Rasmus [Hojlund] has done at Napoli and thought, ‘well, you know, maybe that could kind of rejuvenate my career’.”
“So, I can understand why that’s why he looks at that and thinks that might be a good option, but it has to get the green light from United, and right now, I can’t see that happening in January unless there’s some kind of scenario where someone comes in with a lot of money.”
It’s hard to see how things change unless Amorim is sacked
As Dawson points out, Mainoo does not have a place in the current manager’s system. Amorim has suggested that he sees him as Bruno Fernandes‘s understudy.
However, as the captain is rarely rested or injured, it does suggest that Mainoo will spend a considerable amount of time twiddling his thumbs on the substitutes’ bench this campaign. You can only see that changing if a new manager is brought in.
Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World’s Football News Network.
