Michael Carrick played Kobbie Mainoo for Manchester United in their Manchester derby victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford for his first start this season
Kobbie Mainoo arrives at Old Trafford
Kobbie Mainoo has started Manchester United's last two matches(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
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Kobbie Mainoo is now not expected to leave Manchester United during the winter transfer window after talks with Michael Carrick. The interim Manchester United boss has told him to prove Ruben Amorim wrong after barely playing under their former coach.
Saturday's Manchester derby was the first time that he had started a Premier League match since May. Mainoo also played 90 minutes for the first time since United's infamous Carabao Cup second round tie with Grimsby Town in late August.
He came straight back into the squad under Darren Fletcher. Mainoo featured for the first time in weeks against Burnley.
The midfielder then started against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup third round. Remaining in the team when they beat Manchester City meant consecutive starts for Mainoo.
Between those two games under different interim coaches, it is understood Carrick told Mainoo he would be part of his plans for the rest of this season. That information came with an instruction to focus on re-establishing himself for his boyhood club and prove Amorim was wrong to sideline him.
As such, Napoli can forget about any loan move for the midfielder this month. Weeks of Mainoo speaking with the Naples club will now come to nothing after his focus changed under Carrick.
The club's former midfielder spoke highly of Mainoo before taking his new job. Carrick said in an interview with Rio Ferdinand last summer: "I think for a club to have a player that's come through the academy and knows the club and feels it, I think you have to [build the team around them]. United's got to have an element of that. Always has done, always should, always have.
Michael Carrick holds his right fist aloft
Michael Carrick was a big fan of Kobbie Mainoo before becoming Manchester United interim head coach(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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"To have a talent like that he's shown already, you've got to have players like that, you can say they get it, they know it, let's help them, let's build them and stick with them, and I think there's definitely a place for him there for sure."
Carrick explained: "I think he's more of an attacker. I don't see him as a holding midfielder. He's probably that line above with that little bit more freedom.
"I think there are different ways of defending. You can defend on that higher line a little bit, but defending right deep around your centre back is a bit of a different thing.
"I've seen him playing a little bit higher with that freedom and creating and taking the ball. I think he's got a massive future.
"I really like him, I think he just needs a bit of patience and that little bit of break again, which I'm sure he'll get. He's got it, and he's shown that.
"It's a breath of fresh air the way he takes the ball and plays forward and commits people, can play, can dribble, can pass. That doesn't leave you, and I think it's just waves that can come and go with time. I've seen it so many times."