Kobbie Mainoo is particularly keen on a move to Napoli, much like Joshua Zirkzee’s desire to join Roma. However, if Manchester United are constrained by squad depth issues, they will not green-light any player exits. So, what you are saying is absolutely correct. If Mainoo is sold or even loaned out in January, you would expect Man Utd to sign a midfielder first, and Mainoo may have to bide his time. I have learned two things. First, Kobbie Mainoo has been told why not wait and see how things pan out by mid-January, because if he can get more game time during the Africa Cup of Nations, the player’s mindset and thoughts may change. And obviously, if the situation does not improve, he will still have the chance to take action in the January transfer window, just like he did last summer.
I think this story still has legs. But if it is just a loan move, I have heard that Mainoo wants to go to Napoli. Do you know why? Because he has seen several Man Utd players move to Italy, get regular playing time and perform excellently. He has also seen Scott McTominay become a Ballon d’Or contender. So if Mainoo thinks to himself, “I want to fight for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for next year’s World Cup”, he has to play every week. And even if his game time at Man Utd increases, he may not get that opportunity. This is a quite telling period, which is not usually this persuasive. What I mean is, if Man Utd were the Man Utd of old, they would be competing in European competitions, have squad rotation, and Mainoo might get around 20 appearances. But the current Man Utd have a gap of basically a week between each game, and this is the only really crucial period of the year, because you have the packed festive fixture schedule and the FA Cup matches.
In the FA Cup, Rúben Amorim will make major squad rotations and has to field the entire squad. So this is the only stage of the season so far where Mainoo feels that if he cannot get regular minutes during this busy and fixture-congested period, he will not get any game time at all, which may also change his mind.
Then there is the T-shirt incident. I already talked about it on the United Stand show yesterday, and now I want to reiterate it, but I want to make it clear first that the report is not intended to put the player in a bad light, nor is it trying to stir up trouble. Someone asked me a simple question: Did Mainoo know about the T-shirt, did he approve of the message on it, or did his brother act entirely on his own accord?
I said it was the former. That is my understanding. This is not to say that Mainoo sat in a room with his brother and said “let’s make a T-shirt together and put this exact message on it”. But did he know his brother wore the T-shirt? I think he did. Did he approve of the message on it? I have also heard that he did. So he is frustrated. And he has a plausible deniability. If he is interviewed, he can always say “it was my brother who wore the T-shirt, I was focused on my business at Man Utd”. And we should also state again that during his time at Man Utd, he has always been a model professional, and still is now. So it is understandable that he and his representatives may be more proactive in pushing for something when talking to Man Utd. But if you judge by Mainoo’s behavior with his teammates and in training, he has been a complete model professional.
He trains hard, which is perhaps why some fans are disappointed about the T-shirt incident, because you would think that if a player is in this situation, he should just keep his head down, work hard to fight for a starting spot in the team. And if you politely request a transfer for the second time, then in my opinion, many people will understand the situation, because you cannot be in a transfer window all the time, and it is normal for players to become more resolute each time they request to leave. I think if each of us felt frustrated about our role and value in a football club, we would do the same in our respective careers.
Mainoo is still very likable, still very young, still trains very hard, but he just cannot find his feet under Amorim. I think this frustration has boiled over, so if the situation does not change in January, he will request a transfer. I have no information to suggest that this is definitely a permanent sale rather than a loan. But I do have information that if Mainoo leaves, Man Utd want a transfer fee of £45 million or more, which will be pure profit.
I think this includes add-ons. I think £40 million plus £5 million in add-ons may be feasible, and I think £45 million plus £5 million or £10 million in add-ons is definitely feasible, and Man Utd will definitely be willing to sell him. So that is roughly the range. The reason for the slight difference is obviously down to the deal structure, payment terms, how easy it is to trigger the add-ons, and so on. That is the first point regarding a permanent exit.
From Man Utd’s perspective, I think we have said privately many times that the festive fixture schedule will tell Mainoo just how much Amorim wants to use him or not, regardless of whether he stays or leaves. And even then, he may still push for a transfer. The move may happen if we can find a replacement that Amorim wants to use more. But this is very interesting.
