Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has shared that he really wants to keep Kobbie Mainoo at Old Trafford, but he didn’t promise anything about the young midfielder’s long-term future with the club. The 19-year-old has become super important for United this season, but there’s some uncertainty about his contract, which has caught the eye of rivals like Chelsea.
Mainoo still has over two years left on his contract, but talks about an extension have hit a snag. Sources close to him think that since he’s now an international player and a regular starter, he deserves a nice pay bump. On the flip side, United’s tricky financial situation under the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules makes things even more complicated.
Selling homegrown talents like Mainoo could give clubs some financial wiggle room, as their transfer fees count fully as profit under the rules. But fans would probably be pretty upset about that, especially given Mainoo’s quick rise through the academy and his value to the team.
Before United’s FA Cup match against Arsenal, Amorim talked about the situation:
“Our goal is always to keep our best players, especially the ones we’ve developed. But we know the club’s current position. We’ll see what happens.”
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The Portuguese coach also praised Mainoo’s growth:
“I really love my players. I want to keep them, especially the talented ones. It’s a tough time, and I’m really happy with Kobbie. He’s getting better.”
Amorim stressed that they need to sell players before bringing in new ones, highlighting the club’s cautious approach to recruitment:
“Sometimes the profile for this [3-4-3] system is different, and the players came here with a different idea of how to play. We need to improve our recruitment to make sure they can handle the demands.”
Even with rumors about players like PSG’s Nuno Mendes, Amorim played down the chances of big transfer moves, saying:
“What I meant is we need to boost our academy to make some smart investments in the team.”
While it looks like Mainoo will stick around at United at least until the end of the season, the uncertainty about his future is still a hot topic. For now, Amorim’s main focus will be on stabilizing the squad amid financial challenges and growing transfer chatter.
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