Manchester United’s “true stance” on Kobbie Mainoo’s future has been revealed amid swirling rumours the 20-year-old midfielder could leave Old Trafford this week, according to a report by TEAMtalk.
Issues on and off the pitch
The prospect of Mainoo – a 20-year-old academy graduate from Salford with an outstanding selection of technical attributes – leaving his boyhood club would have been unthinkable last year.
Fresh from helping United triumph in the FA Cup over local rivals Manchester City as the tournament’s best player, Mainoo was included in the England squad for the 2024 European Championship in Germany over the summer.
The midfielder began the tournament on the bench but would go on to start in every knockout match, including the 2-1 loss in the final against Spain – a demonstration of his talents being recognised at club and international level.
His rapid ascension, from a youth player to a fully-fledged international playing on football’s grandest stages, was a remarkable one – and it makes the fact that United would consider his sale twelve months on all the more incomprehensible.
In January, United were reported to be reluctantly open to letting Mainoo go due to PSR concerns. Furthermore, the club have been locked in talks over a new contract with the youngster asking for as much as a tenfold increase on his current £20,000-a-week wage packet.
However, it is not simply financial issues off the pitch which may be forcing United to consider Mainoo’s sale; he is also struggling to find an obvious home in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.
In both of United’s opening games of the season – at home to Arsenal and away to Fulham – Amorim has chosen to keep Mainoo on the bench, despite the team desperately pushing for a goal in either match.
In the 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, the Portuguese coach brought on Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven – two centre-backs – as well as Manuel Ugarte, a defensive midfielder, ahead of Mainoo, as United searched for a winner.
Amorim has previously spoken of how highly he rates Mainoo, stressing he has “big plans” for the midfield starlet. But the opening two weeks of the season have suggested otherwise.
And these omissions has led to a wave of reports revealing both United and Mainoo would consider a shock exit before the transfer window shuts on September 1.
United want Mainoo to stay
A host of clubs across Europe are reported to have expressed interest in signing Mainoo, including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton in England, as well as European heavyweights like Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
A price as low as £45 million has been suggested as sufficient to convince United to do business at this late stage of the window.
However, TEAMtalk reveals sources at Old Trafford firmly refute suggestions the club want to sell Mainoo, instead expecting the youngster to sign a new long-term contract.
“Manchester United sources insist they would prefer to tie Kobbie Mainoo down to a new contract rather than cash in on the midfielder, with the player’s stance on an exit also revealed.
“At United this summer, the club have been ruthless in forcing out players deemed surplus to requirements – but TEAMtalk understands that Mainoo has not been treated in the same way. There has been no attempt to push him towards the exit, underlining the belief in his long-term value.”
There is an “expectation” that Mainoo will stay to “fight for his place with United and, in time, agree a fresh deal at Old Trafford.”
The only way this scenario will change is if the player himself actively pushes for an exit before next week’s deadline, the report concludes.
But it’s clear what United’s stance on Mainoo is: he will stay and fight for his place in the team, like every other player at a top club across Europe. Whether the youngster rises to the challenge is a question only he can answer.
Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
