Manchester United are looking for solutions after a disappointing draw at the weekend against Fulham.
Among the many problems for Ruben Amorim to emerge amid the 1-1 draw with Fulham, the team’s midfield stands out.
Amorim expressed concern with Bruno Fernandes’ performance, yet still did not call on Kobbie Mainoo.
Mainoo’s snub was a source of frustration for United fans, and he has not played a single minute all season.
Meanwhile United’s top midfield target Carlos Baleba, had a tough weekend in a Brighton loss, and with the transfer deadline one week away, it is not too late to make a move.
Former Manchester United academy defender Danny Simpson has a solution.
Kobbie Mainoo in Manchester United shirt
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Danny Simpson on Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo scored the winning goal in the 2024 FA Cup Final for Manchester United, yet just over a year on, he is an afterthought in a new-look side. One that is getting poor results.
Speaking to the Beyond The Back Four podcast, Danny Simpson expressed frustration that Mainoo has not yet had a chance this season.
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He said: “Obviously since his breakthrough with United and England, everyone was literally buzzing in the town of Manchester.
“I didn’t feel like he got enough of a break. Maybe that summer and then last season obviously struggled with injuries and so on and so forth. But I really thought, you know, with a rest and pre-season this year that we’d see more of him and we haven’t seen him at all.”
Simpson believes that a loan move could be beneficial for Kobbie Mainoo right now, as part of a swap deal with Brighton for Carlos Baleba.
He explained: “I think for me, because obviously he’s a local lad, I’d like to see him go on loan and go and play a full season in the Premier League and then come back to Man United.
“What I’d like to see is sign Baleba and then let them have Kobbie Mainoo in a loan deal and something like that so we can get some experience. I think that would suit everyone.
“And I think United do need a player like Baleba. So I think for me that would be my ideal situation. But it’s football and it doesn’t work like that.”
Late deals still possible
Kobbie Mainoo is understood to be frustrated about his lack of opportunities so far, as he is the fourth choice midfielder.
This means he could be open to a loan move away from United, yet this would also leave the team quite light in midfield.
That is where a swap deal might be attractive in the short-term, if it allows Mainoo to go out and play regularly, which he clearly wants to do in a World Cup year.
United insider Andy Mitten believes the club could still be active before the deadline, with hopes of landing Baleba still alive.