Manchester United could be forced to sanction the exit of one of their young superstars.
According to The Athletic, Kobbie Mainoo is ready to seek a loan move away from Man United in January after becoming deeply frustrated with his lack of minutes under Ruben Amorim.
The gifted academy graduate has played just 171 Premier League minutes, an astonishingly low figure for a player of his pedigree and potential.
The Red Devils are expected to wait until after the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finishes in January to make a decision on Mainoo.
They could realistically allow him to leave only when Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui return to Old Trafford.
This timeline may frustrate Mainoo even further.
Bayern Munich are one of the clubs interested in acquiring his services with Mainoo also preferring to go abroad if he leaves United.
It is extremely unfortunate to see the treatment of a player who played a crucial role for United over the last 18 months and central to England’s success at Euro 2024.
Amorim believes he is not positionally disciplined enough to play as a holding midfielder and instead sees him as direct competition for Bruno Fernandes for the number eight starting spot.
The head coach has favoured the midfield partnership of Casemiro and Fernandes this season.
In all fairness, the duo have performed reasonably well in the middle.
It is also true that Mainoo has yet to show his best this term.
However, he clearly deserves far more trust, opportunities and responsibility than Amorim has afforded him so far.
With the game at 1-1 against West Ham United, the Portuguese opted to send Lisandro Martinez off the bench rather than Mainoo.
Such miscalculations are doing little to help United climb the table, with the team still marooned in eighth place despite repeated chances to rise.
Stats from Fotmob.com