Kobbie Mainoo being open to leaving his boyhood club has come as quite a shock to the system.
Ruben Amorim does not seem to rate him, as evidenced by the Englishman not seeing any minutes from two Premier League games, even though the Red Devils needed attacking impetus in both games to turn the match around.
Instead, the head coach has opted to bring on Manuel Ugarte, and both cameos were rather forgettable. Against Fulham, on came two centre-halves in Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven while the Carrington graduate watched from the bench.
In the past, the Portuguese tactician had claimed that the 20-year-old did not possess the speed and physicality to play as the defensive midfielder in his system.
Amorim does not seem to rate Kobbie Mainoo
As a result, he is competing with club captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in the pivot, and there will be very few games he can start over the Portugal international.
Even when Fernandes is not at his best, like in the game against the Cottagers, the boss still has chosen to overlook the wonderkid. Clearly, the youngster is more dangerous closer to goal, as he proved in the past with his late heroics.
🚨 Exclusive: Newcastle United are in for Kobbie Mainoo and have asked Manchester United about the conditions of a deal. #NUFC
Player open to leaving #MUFC. One to watch. pic.twitter.com/VD3LHa0jc2
— Jason Soutar (@jbsoutar) August 27, 2025
But following the additions of Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha, there is very little scope for him to play as an attacking midfielder in most matches.
This stance has deeply disappointed him, and reports have stated that he has seen enough. Multiple Premier League clubs, and Spanish sides are lurking, and now, as per F365‘s Jason Soutar, Newcastle have also joined the race.
Newcastle join the race
In fact, they have been in touch with INEOS and have asked about the potential conditions of a deal for Kobbie Mainoo.
“Exclusive: Newcastle United are in for Kobbie Mainoo and have asked Manchester United about the conditions of a deal. Player open to leaving MUFC. One to watch,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
United’s asking price is reportedly shockingly low, which suggests an exit is not beyond the realms of possibility.
In fact, as previously relayed by The Peoples Person, the co-owners even have Angelo Stiller of VfB Stuttgart on standby should their academy product decide to jump ship.
Fans will be hoping it does not come to that. A meeting between club officials and the midfield maestro is due very shortly in which issues are expected to be ironed out. Hopefully, his future can be secured soon.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
