Kobbie Mainoo: Surprise club emerge as favourites for United ace

Ruben Amorim has faced plenty of heat for his utilisation of Manchester United wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo this season.

Not too long ago, the Carrington graduate was starring for the Red Devils as they overcame Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Who can forget his injury-time winner against Olympique Lyonnais last season?

From those heady heights, the Englishman has fallen on hard times under the head coach in this campaign. A total of zero starts in the Premier League has meant the 20-year-old is desperate to jump ship in January.

He had asked INEOS to leave in the summer as well, and he is likely to approach them once again in the coming days to find some sort of solution.

It is clear from Amorim’s comments that the England international is unlikely to see too many minutes unless there are injuries or the head coach shuffles his pack.

A whole host of clubs are chasing the United No.37, and while Napoli remains his preferred destination, CaughtOffside have claimed that Chelsea are leading the race.

The Blues had signed fellow Carrington graduate Alejandro Garnacho in the summer and are now looking to add more young talents from the Red Devils.

Bayern Munich are also strong contenders. Thankfully for the 20-time English league champions, the Stockport-born ace remains committed to his boyhood club, and wants only a temporary exit to boost his England World Cup hopes.

He prefers a foreign club, and the co-owners are unlikely to sanction a deal to a domestic top-four unless it involves an offer too good to be refused.

“Although at least 12 clubs are reportedly in the race, sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are “leading the chase”.

“It will be interesting to see if Chelsea can convince Manchester United to sell. They are looking to build a formidable team for the future, and the England International midfielder could be the final piece of the puzzle for them.

“However, the player’s personal preference list still places Napoli as the frontrunner. Mainoo is prioritising where he can be a guaranteed starter as he plots his next move.”

Hopefully, it does not come to that and the talented star remains at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.

Possibly, AFCON departures could finally force Amorim to hand Kobbie Mainoo more gametime. And the midfielder must grab his chance with both hands when it arrives.

Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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