Manchester United are willing to entertain offers for Kobbie Mainoo as Ruben Amorim “does not see the 20-year-old fitting into his long-term plans” at Old Trafford, according to a well-placed source.
Football Insider reveals Amorim is “prepared” to sell Mainoo this summer as the club begins plans to comprehensively overhaul the Portuguese coach’s first team.
Without the prospect of European football next season, United can streamline their senior squad with a host of players expected to depart.
The contracts of Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans are all set to expire at the end of the season with the expectation that all three will leave.United will also actively look to shift Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Marcus Rashford with all three loanees having no future under Amorim at Old Trafford.
The club will also consider bids for Alejandro Garnacho after the Argentinian international was told by Amorim to “find a new club” during a first-team meeting last weekend. This followed comments by Garnacho and his brother about the prospect of the 20-year-old winger leaving Old Trafford after being dropped for the Europa League final.
But Steve Brown, a former United scout with strong connections to Old Trafford, now reveals to Football Insider that the Reds will look to sell another academy graduate – Mainoo.
“Man United are prepared to accept offers for Kobbie Mainoo when the transfer window opens,” Brown contends. And there are discussions taking place amongst the executive branch “around which clubs might be interested” in a move for the 20-year-old midfielder.
Amorim has struggled to find a natural home for Mainoo in his 3-4-2-1- system, in a similar manner to Garnacho.
The former Sporting manager initially deployed Mainoo in the midfield pivot but took issue with the England star’s lack of physicality. Mainoo was then pushed further forward into the number ten role, and even as a false nine on one occasion, with mixed results.
And it’s this inability to find a suitable role that Brown reveals has led to Amorim giving his approval to Mainoo’s sale as he is “prepared to see [the 20-year-old] leave over the off-season.”
Mainoo’s status as an academy player means his sale would constitute ‘pure profit’ from a PSR perspective and would provide a significant boost to the club’s budget this summer, in an identical situation to Garnacho’s potential exit.
Chelsea were linked with a move for the 20-year-old midfielder in January and could look to rekindle their interest, alongside Garnacho, who the London side are also reported to have as a target.
But where fans could accept Garnacho’s departure given the almost untenable situation the winger’s public comments have created, the prospect of Mainoo – a Salford born player who has been at Old Trafford since he was nine years of age – leaving would likely prove the breaking point for many, this writer included.
Feature image Michael Regan 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.
