Kobbie Mainoo is growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of first team footballplaceholder image
Kobbie Mainoo is growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of first team football | Manchester United via Getty Imag
Kobbie Mainoo is attracting interest from a number of leading Premier League sides
Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo is expected to once again push for a move away from Old Trafford this winter.
Mark Brus, a journalist for CaughtOffside, understands as many as ten clubs want Mainoo this January, with varying degrees of interest.
Newcastle United and Chelsea express interest in Kobbie Mainoo
Premier League heavyweights Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea have both expressed a strong interest in Kobbie Mainoo as they look to add further quality in midfield.
All three sides are competing in the Champions League and have ambitions of progressing to the latter stages of both domestic cup competitions this term.
Similarly, Tottenham, who are also competing in the Champions League, are fans of Mainoo, along with newly-promoted Leeds United and Everton, who are managed by former United boss David Moyes.
However, at this stage the most solid and concrete interest is thought to be coming from abroad with Italian champions Napoli being the frontrunners for the 20-year-old’s signature.Other European clubs mentioned include Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
What does the future hold for Kobbie Mainoo?
Kobbie Mainoo is still yet to start a league match this season. He’s made seven appearances so far, all from the subs bench, with Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro currently being the preferred central pairing for Ruben Amorim’s improving side.
Mainoo’s only start of the campaign came in a 2-2 draw in August against Grimsby Town, in a Carabao Cup contest which the team ultimately lost on penalties.Barring that he’s not started a competitive match since a 2-0 defeat to West Ham in the league back in May. Amorim is thought to be keen to keep Mainoo to bolster his side’s squad depth but faces a risk retaining an unhappy player in his team.
"I see Kobbie Mainoo training today, and he deserves to play, but then I have to take one guy [out] that's playing really well. We should have played in the Carabao Cup, because I need to see Kobbie Mainoo playing, I need to see Josh, all of these guys deserve to play, but in the end, it is one more game you need to make choices. So you have both sides,” said Amorim via beIN Sports.
"Our club needs to be in Europe, it's hard to have a very, very good squad. Imagine for me to have Mainoo with that (many) minutes that he's playing, he needs more games for me to make a rotation because, with one game (a week), it's really hard.I have to take one of the guys that is playing to put another. When you have more games, you can divide, you can manage the group in a different way."
United will be concerned at the thought of losing such a talented player on a free, based on the potential he’s shown earlier in his career. They’ve been made to rue the mistake of letting go of top homegrown players like Scott McTominay, Alvaro Carreras and Dean Henderson in the past and will hope to avoid a similar scenario with Mainoo.
As it stands, a loan seems the most likely outcome if Amorim decides he has adequate squad depth. However, it’s worth noting that Mainoo has stalled on an extension to his current deal which runs until 2027, meaning this window could present a final opportunity to sell him for an inflated figure rather than losing him in the summer for a cut-price fee or for nothing at all in 18 months time.
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