“At this stage…”: Manchester United make final decision on future of “fantastic” midfield star loved by Michael Carrick

Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick. (REUTERS/Phil Noble)

Manchester United have reportedly decided against allowing Kobbie Mainoo to leave in the January transfer window, ending speculation that the young midfielder might seek a temporary move for more game time.

Mainoo had struggled for minutes under former head coach Ruben Amorim, failing to start a single Premier League match, with the Portuguese manager noting the midfielder would need to “fight for his place” in the squad.

The arrival of Michael Carrick as United’s new head coach, however, appears to have changed Mainoo’s fortunes.

Carrick handed the 20-year-old his first league start of the season in a 2-0 victory over Manchester City, with Mainoo delivering a composed and efficient performance which his manager called “fantastic” and that suggested he could play a bigger role going forward

While reports last summer indicated that Mainoo was open to a loan move, Manchester United never gave final approval. Fabrizio Romano confirmed the club’s current stance, revealing that Carrick “really [trusts] him [Mainoo],” and as a result, a loan move will not happen in January.

“Forget about loan move at this stage because Man United were already not convinced to give the green light to the exit of Kobbie Mainoo. In December, beginning of January, 10 clubs called, but Napoli from Italy really wanted to go get Kobbie on loan from Man United,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

“The player was keen on a move but never given the final green light from United,” he added. “Now with Michael Carrick trusting the player, and with this kind of performance [against Man City], it looks like Kobbie is staying at Manchester United, and he is going to be an important player for Carrick.”

With Carrick’s backing and a standout performance against City, it seems Mainoo is set to feature regularly for Manchester United, giving the academy graduate a major opportunity to establish himself in the first team this season.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.