Man Utd’s stance on selling Kobbie Mainoo after Bruno Fernandes injury

Manchester United will almost certainly not allow Kobbie Mainoo to leave in the January transfer window following Bruno Fernandes’ injury.

Mainoo’s future at Old Trafford has been the subject of much speculation over the pasr few months, with the young midfielder seemingly out of favour with head coach Ruben Amorim.

Yet to start a Premier League game, Lisandro Martinez – who recently returned from a lengthy injury – is the only first-team star to have played fewer minutes than Mainoo this season.

While some, including Ryan Giggs, have advised him to stay put, the 20-year-old has been continually linked with a transfer – either permanent or loan – with Napoli very interested in his services.

Mainoo burst onto the scene in 2023/24, ending that season by scoring in the FA Cup final victory and starting in the Euro 2024 final, and he hopes that a January move could boost his chances of making the England squad for the World Cup.

Amorim’s comments about the Carrington academy graduate have done little to quell the matter and neither has Kobbie’s half-brother, Jordan Mainoo-Hames, who wore a T-shirt printed with the message ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ during United’s 4-4 draw with Bournemouth last week.

After that stunt, it was reported that the Red Devils would be willing to sanction his departure if the right offer was made, but that stance has now changed following the injury to Fernandes.

The United captain hobbled off at half-time of Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa, with Amorim later confirming that he picked up a ‘soft tissue’ problem.

While a timescale on the injury is yet to be confirmed, reports suggest Fernandes is out for around a month, meaning he could miss the Manchester derby at Old Trafford and the trip to league leaders Arsenal.

Combine that with the absence of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui who are at the Africa Cup of Nations, Amorim’s midfield and attacking options have suddenly become very thin.

As a result, the Times report that there is now little to no chance that Amorim will let Mainoo go, with United very unlikely to sign a replacement midfielder when the window reopens.

The head coach has always said that he sees Mainoo as a ‘like-for-like’ alternative to Fernandes, so he should be due more minutes over the next month.

However, in a cruel twist of fate, Mainoo has also picked up a calf injury, which forced him to sit out the defeat at Villa Park and he’ll also miss the Boxing Day clash against Newcastle United.

While Amorim initially said the Englishman would be ‘fine in a few weeks’, reports now suggest he could return as soon as the turn of the year.

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