Kobbie Mainoo asked for advice from a former player after a questionable Manchester United story emerged last year.
Kobbie Mainoo broke into Manchester United’s senior side under Erik ten Hag, making his Premier League debut in November 2023.
He made an instant impression, particularly with a standout display against Everton, and quickly established himself as a regular partner to Casemiro in midfield.
Mainoo crowned his breakthrough season by netting the winning goal in the FA Cup final, before going on to represent England at Euro 2024, where he started in the final defeat to Spain.
Since Ruben Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford, however, the 20-year-old has struggled for consistent minutes. Frustrated by his lack of opportunities, he even pushed for a loan move over the summer, but the club refused.
This followed on from Alejandro Garnacho’s exit, with prior reports suggesting that United were open to selling academy players to help with their financial position.
Mainoo ‘sought advice from ex-player’ before loan request
Ahead of the January window this year, rumours emerged that United were open to selling Garnacho and Mainoo as it would aid their PSR position.
According to reports from ESPN, the January window was when Mainoo first started having concerns over his future at Old Trafford.
It was claimed that Mainoo sought advice from a former player after those stories emerged that the club would be open to selling him and Garnacho for PSR reasons.
However, it wasn’t until this summer where the 20-year-old had serious enough concerns to request a loan departure to get regular game-time.
Mainoo’s situation will be revisited
Importantly, the aforementioned report has added that those close to Mainoo have rejected any suggestions that he wanted to leave the club permanently in the summer.
He instead simply wanted a temporary move that could help force his way back into the England squad under Thomas Tuchel ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
It was concluded that the situation could be revisited in the January window if things don’t change for Mainoo, although that would likely depend on United securing a replacement.
Although, almost everyone would hope that Amorim can find a solution with Mainoo and get him back to the kind of form we saw in his first season in the first-team.
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