Kobbie Mainoo could link up with former Man United star in January as ‘first choice’ club revealed
Kobbie Mainoo may reunite with one of his old Man United teammates soon as he plans an exit in January after failing to leave in the summer.
Kobbie Mainoo’s future was up in the air throughout the summer window, and he looked set to depart Man United near the deadline after not playing a single minute of their first two Premier League games of the season.
Mainoo requested to leave Man United on loan before the deadline in early September, but it always seemed unclear as to whether the Red Devils would allow him to leave, with Ruben Amorim insisting that he wanted him to stay and “fight for his place” in the team.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid were each linked to Mainoo with a potential exit on the horizon, but he did not make a move away from Old Trafford, and has continued to struggle for minutes with just one start all term up to now.
Football Insider revealed on 22 September that Man United are willing to let Mainoo leave in January if they find a midfield replacement, and a new update has now revealed the club that he would like to join if he does finally seal an exit in the new year.
Kobbie Mainoo favoured a summer move to Napoli to play with Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund
Former Old Trafford scout Mick Brown recently told Football Insider that Amorim is at loggerheads with the Man United hierarchy over the future of Mainoo, with club chiefs preferring to keep him for the rest of the campaign.
According to a new report from the Daily Mail, Serie A champions Napoli would have been Mainoo’s ‘first choice’ if United had given him the green light to leave in the summer, as he was keen to link up with former teammates Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund and Man City legend Kevin De Bruyne.
They also state that, if under-fire Amorim keeps his job until January, Mainoo is likely to make another attempt to leave the Red Devils, with Napoli and the two Madrid sides both mooted as potential options.
What Ruben Amorim has said about Mainoo since the window closed
Amorim has not given Mainoo enough chances to make a case to play regularly under his watch, with the England man handed only eight Premier League starts in 2025 so far.
His talent is obvious after a rapid rise to stardom at both club and international level in 2024, and Amorim has insisted that the 20-year-old does have what it takes to play more but needs to play better.
Ahead of their game against Man City on 14 September, the Portuguese boss said: “I didn’t have a conversation with him before the window closed because I didn’t want Kobbie Mainoo thinking that I was having a conversation with him just to hold on to him. I did it this week.
“I believe in him a lot. He is a top player. But some of you think that Kobbie Mainoo is already done [a complete player]. I think he can do so much better. For some guys [talent] is enough, but for him it is not. Maybe it’s not fair, but I think I’m helping Kobbie and that’s it.”
Amorim clearly thinks he is helping Mainoo, but it seems he has only driven him further away from the club with a January move still firmly in the pipeline.
His own job is at risk right now, however, and it may well turn out that the former Sporting head-coach is not even in charge at Old Trafford come the turn of the year, meaning Mainoo may be more likely to stay if given a second chance by a new boss.