Sir Jim Ratcliffe “impressed” by Man United duo, wants to reward them with new contracts

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been impressed by two Manchester United starlets and wants to reward them with new contracts at Old Trafford.

United have had a difficult season under Erik ten Hag this term. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup and Champions League in the early stages.

Meanwhile, they sit in sixth place in the Premier League and are unlikely to move upwards before the end of the campaign.

However, there have been bright sparks throughout the season, often offered by the young talent within the squad.

Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and, most recently, Willy Kambwala have been standout performers for Ten Hag’s side at various points this term.

According to a new report from Manchester World, new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is is keen for United to maintain their distinguished history of producing academy talent and he is believed to have been impressed with Mainoo and Kambwala so far.

It was added that the club are working on new deals for both of the teenagers following their success in the first-team squad.

Mainoo has quickly emerged as one of Ten Hag’s most important players and is considered one of the best young talents in Europe.

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Kambwala, meanwhile, has had a smaller role but impressed heavily in his second start against Liverpool last weekend. He could make a further impact in the coming weeks amid the injury crisis at centre-back.

The aforementioned report stated that United is confident of agreeing improved terms for the academy duo but stressed that there is no rush to finalise those new contracts.

Mainoo has already had an increase in wage due to activating performance-related add-ons in his current deal.

However, Kambwala’s situation is slightly different. The Frenchman’s deal runs out in 2025, so there is more urgency to get the deal over the line soon.

The defender’s current contract also does not include the same performance-based add-ons that Mainoo has, so there is an incentive to reward him with terms that reflect his greater importance to the first-team squad.