With the January window fast approaching, Manchester United have a lot on their plate, and the whole Kobbie Mainoo situation is only adding to the uneasy atmosphere around the club.
Ruben Amorim’s treatment of the Englishman has been genuinely surprising. There is an obvious gap at the base of the midfield, where Casemiro is currently the preferred option.
The Brazilian hardly managed to last the full 90 minutes, while Manuel Ugarte’s Old Trafford adventure seems to be drawing to a close.
Despite this, the head coach does not feel the Carrington graduate has the requisite skillset to thrive in a deeper role, instead seeing him more as a backup for Bruno Fernandes.
Amorim’s mistreatment of Kobbie Mainoo
The club captain hardly ever misses games, which has meant the England international is yet to start a single Premier League game this season.
He had asked INEOS to allow him to leave on loan in the summer, but the co-owners had instead asked him to stay and fight for his place.
But with Amorim continuing to ignore him, things have reached a breaking point as per The Daily Mail. Up till this point, all the midfielder was asking for was a loan to jumpstart his chances of making England’s World Cup squad.
But now, he is open to a permanent exit, with Napoli the frontrunners. His contract situation has only exacerbated his ill-feelings towards his boyhood club.
Now considering permanent exit
“United supporters are desperate to see more of the homegrown player, who is yet to start a Premier League game this season… but Mainoo is now considering a permanent exit
“Even in the unlikely event that he is picked ahead of Manuel Ugarte to replace the suspended Casemiro at Aston Villa on Sunday, it will be a temporary fix.
“Daily Mail Sport understands Mainoo’s relationship with his boyhood club is now at breaking point. With no contract proposal on the table, he continues to earn around £40,000 a week – roughly a third of his market value.
“Mainoo sees no future for himself at Old Trafford under Amorim, and if a loan move in January included an option to leave permanently, then he would now consider it.
“Napoli are still at the front of the queue and there is a growing optimism in southern Italy that Antonio Conte will get his man this time, reuniting Mainoo with Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund.”
Things look bleak for United
His brother’s stunt has certainly not helped his position, while INEOS are unlikely to sanction an exit in January unless a serious acquisition can be made.
All their top targets like Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson, and Adam Wharton are unlikely to jump ship in the middle of the season.
And with the 20-year-old’s current contract still having two years left to run (with the option to add another year), the Red Devils do not need to let him leave on the cheap.
It will be interesting to see how this saga unfolds in the coming weeks.
Feature image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
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