DEFENSIVE STEEL: England coach Thomas Tuchel (Image: John Walton - Pool/Getty Images)placeholder image
DEFENSIVE STEEL: England coach Thomas Tuchel (Image: John Walton - Pool/Getty Images)
England boss Thomas Tuchel will have his eye on both the players involved in the potential swap ahead of the World Cup in the summer.
For the first time since the 1970s, there were no Manchester United players in the England squad during the Autumn international break, something that Ruben Amorim will be very disappointed about.
Mainoo is perhaps the most surprising, considering that he was a real star for England in Euro 2024. However, since Amorim came in, Mainoo’s minutes have significantly decreased, and the midfielder has requested to leave to get more game time. There could be a potential path for him to leave in January.
Man United could swap Mainoo for Gallagher
The Red Devils have been linked to signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher, as they tried and failed to sign him in the summer. Recent reports have said that United could make a move for him again in the January window, and so they could bring him in as a Mainoo replacement.
Fabrizio Romano recently said that Man United might be able to sign Conor Gallagher for just £26m in January, with Atletico Madrid potentially more willing to sell him compared to how they were in the summer. Instead of paying for him, United could offer Mainoo in a swap, as the 20-year-old has previously expressed his desire to leave.
It would leave United with a proven, experienced Premier League-level midfielder in Gallagher, who will also be wanting to put some form together to potentially get into the World Cup squad. But it would also give Mainoo what he wants in terms of an exit, and Man United could even ask for some cash on top of Gallagher to get some extra funds back from the deal.
Gallagher wants a ‘bigger role’ at Atletico
The midfielder has made 15 La Liga appearances for Madrid this season; however, a lot of them have been him coming off the bench, and it is understood that he would like more regular minutes under Diego Simeone.
In November, he was quoted in an interview by Spanish outlet AS, where he said: “I'm not satisfied. I don't think anyone is if they're not playing as much as they'd like, but I'll keep working very hard to help the team whenever I have the chance, and hopefully, more opportunities to be a starter will come.
“I'm very happy here. My goal is to win titles with Atleti, and I want to have a bigger role in the team. And, as I've said, I'm going to keep working as hard as I can to play more minutes and help the team.”
The quotes hint that, despite Gallagher saying he’s ‘very happy’, the 25-year-old would potentially be open to a move in January if United were to guarantee him more regular minutes than he’s currently getting at the Spanish club.
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