Kobbie Mainoo’s long-term future at Manchester United is still up in the air as talks over a new contract for the England midfielder drag on.
It was hoped that Ruben Amorim’s sacking would see a breakthrough in negotiations after Mainoo was frozen out under the former United boss, and the situation is certainly more positive now he has been restored to the starting line-up by new head coach Michael Carrick.
However, Confidential understands there are still lingering issues between the 20-year-old’s camp and the Old Trafford hierarchy after he agreed to a compromise on his new salary and then didn’t hear back from United until Amorim was fired in January.
Mainoo earns significantly less than his team-mates, and it’s unclear if his representatives would be willing to accept the same terms now he has underlined his importance to the team since Carrick replaced Amorim.
The Stockport-born player is said to be far more settled than he was in the summer when his request to go out on loan to Napoli for the season in search of regular football was rejected by United.
There is now considerably more chance of him staying at Old Trafford and signing a new long-term contract if the two sides can reach an agreement again.
Kobbie Mainoo is far more settled at Manchester United now Ruben Amorim has been replaced by Michael Carrick, but there has been no major breakthrough in his contract talks
The 20-year-old midfielder has underlined his importance to the side in recent months and is likely to win an England recall before this summer’s World Cup
But United’s Premier League rivals and a number of European clubs are said to be monitoring Mainoo’s situation and his swift return to form, which is likely to result in a recall to the England squad ahead of the World Cup.
Mainoo would face an uncertain future at Old Trafford if a deal can’t be struck, but he is under contract until 2027 and United – who have the option to extend that contract by another year – would be reluctant to sell him this summer with Casemiro and, possibly, Manuel Ugarte leaving the club.
Stars get shirty
United’s players are understood to be increasingly unimpressed at being hassled by resellers outside their Carrington training base every day.
A video of defender Noussair Mazraoui botching his signature when asked to sign multiple No 3s went viral this week. Insiders were not surprised by the Moroccan’s decision, not least because Confidential understands players are taking a particularly dim view of a small group of individuals who turn up every single day or follow them to Stockport train station for southern away games, seeking multiple signatures on an array of memorabilia.
Sources at the training ground detailed how there are numerous occasions where young children, there hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite players, have been pushed out of the way so a reseller can get closest to the player’s car and land the signature.
Players are said to have wised up to many of these tactics and, after Diogo Dalot earlier in the season refused to engage with an identified reseller, Mazraoui was the latest to take a stand.
The public road outside the training base means the club’s hands are tied on controlling the footfall, but there is no denying that players have cottoned on to antics that are ruining it for other supporters.
Noussair Mazraoui went viral this week, after appearing to deliberately botch his signature when presented with memorabilia by an alleged reseller
Reds rejected Bayindir bid
Beskitas failed in an attempt to take United’s No 2 goalkeeper Altay Bayindir back to Turkey in the January transfer window, Confidential understands.
United are remaining tight-lipped over speculation that Bayindir, who moved to Old Trafford from Fenerbahce for £4.3million in the summer of 2003, will return to Istanbul with Besiktas for a similar fee at the end of the season.
But sources say that United rejected an attempt to sign him during the January window, which actually extended to February 11 in Turkey.
United were keen to keep Bayindir as back-up to Senne Lammens until the end of the season, having started the first six Premier League games at the beginning of the campaign before the Belgian took over as No.1. The 6ft 6in Turk has made a total of 17 appearances in nearly three years at United.
Having failed to sign him on that occasion, Besiktas are said to have turned their attention to Leeds duo Lucas Perri and Illan Meslier, but may well now return for Bayindir in the summer.
United rejected a bid from Besiktas for back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir in January
Utd keep tabs on Tyler
United will continue to monitor Tyler Adams’ situation at Bournemouth after the US international returned to action following a serious knee injury sustained at Old Trafford in December.
At around £40m, Adams would be a cheaper option than some of the other midfield targets being considered by United, including Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton.
The 27-year-old was hoping to impress against United in December, but limped off within the first five minutes after tearing the medial ligament in his left knee blocking a shot from his old RB Leipzig team-mate Matheus Cunha.
After returning to the Bournemouth line-up in the last two games against West Ham and Sunderland, Adams told the Men in Blazers podcast: ‘I’m in a good spot. There was a longer timetable on the injury when it first happened, but I’ve come back a little bit earlier.
‘It wasn’t ideal. You dream of nights playing at Old Trafford against Man United. Those are the biggest games you can play in the Premier League, and something like that happens.
‘I knew in the moment that my MCL twisted and I felt a bit of a pop. I don’t think I’ve ever come off a field in the first half.’
United will continue to monitor Tyler Adams’ situation at Bournemouth after the US international returned to action after a serious knee injury
Euro tour moves closer
With the Middle East engulfed by conflict, it is looking more likely than ever that United will head on a European-based pre-season tour instead.
United executives will also be relieved they didn’t organise a mid-season friendly in the Middle East to fill the gaps in their schedule. The club had held talks over the possibility of playing in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, with this weekend one of the windows being discussed.
However, the US and Israel-led offensive against Iran, and subsequent backlash against a number of Middle Eastern states including Saudi and Kuwait, would have ruled out any trip to that part of the world.
Marcus waits on Barca vote
Marcus Rashford’s future at Barcelona will become clearer after the Catalan club’s upcoming presidential elections.
Rashford is on loan at the Nou Camp from United, and current Barca president Joan Laporta is understood to want to sign him permanently if he stays in power on March 15.
United have already made it clear that they will not renegotiate Rashford’s £26m transfer fee with Barcelona, who are paying his £315,000-a-week wages this season.
Marcus Rashford has impressed at Barcelona but his future will only become clearer after the Catalan club’s upcoming presidential elections
Laporta is favourite to win the election, but it’s unclear how Rashford’s situation would be impacted if the 63-year-old’s main challenger Victor Font – who has the backing of former Barca star and manager Xavi – beats him.
The other two candidates are Marc Ciria and Xavier Vilajoana, and there has been talk of Laporta’s three rivals joining together to form a coalition.
If Rashford’s move to Barca falls through, United would have a problem reintegrating such a high-earner with the club committed to driving down the wage bill as Casemiro and Jadon Sancho prepare to leave in the summer.
Good timing for wise buys
United’s summer signings couldn’t have chosen a better time to demonstrate value for money after the club’s latest financial figures revealed the staggering amount still owed on transfers.
Benjamin Sesko scored his seventh goal in the last eight games – including three winners – to seal Sunday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace after Cunha had won the penalty that led to United’s equaliser.
It came six days after goalkeeper Lammens played a starring role in the 1-0 win at Everton, while Bryan Mbeumo has been arguably the pick of the signings, who cost a combined £236m last summer.
United’s recruitment is a feather in the cap of chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and head of recruitment Christopher Vivell, and there was little margin for error judging by the figures United gave to the New York Stock Exchange following the release of their second-quarter results last week.
The club owe £422m in transfer fee instalments with a whopping £238m of that due within one year alone. United also have borrowings of £777m, of which £295m is repayable within a year after extending their overdraft facility to £400m.
Not included in the latest results were the remaining £6.3m owing to Sporting Lisbon as compensation for hiring Amorim, and up to £15.9m it could end up costing to fire the Portuguese coach and his backroom staff.
It underlines the huge importance of qualifying for the Champions League, which would be worth in excess of £100m. The Palace win has put United in third place ahead of their trip to Newcastle on Wednesday.
United spent big in the summer – but Senne Lammens (far left), Bryan Mbeumo (second left) and Matheus Cunha (far right) have already gone some way to justifying their fees
Players turn on Glazers
The Glazer family may be painting a rosy picture of life at their Tampa Bay NFL franchise in a new Amazon documentary Raise The Flags: 50 Years of Buccaneers Football, but it’s not a view shared by the players according to a new survey.
Confidential revealed last month that United’s owners, who have maintained almost total silence since their leveraged takeover at Old Trafford in 2005, had given their blessing to the project with Ed Glazer coming on board as an executive producer.
It depicts Glazer and his siblings – United co-chairmen Joel and Avi as well as Bryan, Kevin and Darcie – as hands-on owners who care deeply about the club their father Malcolm bought for $192m in 1995.
But the latest NFL Players’ Association report was leaked in recent days and it shows that the Bucs players have given the Glazers a rating of D.
It was the third-lowest in the NFL, with only the Pittsburg Steelers and the St Louis Cardinals ranked lower among the 32 teams.
Although the players were comparatively generous in marking the coaching staff, the owners got a thumbs-down as the squad marked home game experience F-, team travel F, the food and dining area D+, the dressing room D- and treatment of families D.
Not surprisingly, NFL owners try to keep the results of the survey a secret. Presumably, they won’t make it into the documentary.
England keen on Kukonki
Leigh Sports Village was busier than usual on Monday night for the Premier League 2 clash between United and Chelsea.
Usually there are a smattering of scouts, agents and executives at these matches, but it was rammed on this occasion given the quality of the sides on show.
One interested observer spotted by Confidential was England youth coach Ben Futcher who was keeping a very close eye on United defender Godwill Kukonki, among other players.
Talented young United defender Godwill Kukonki (pictured) was scouted by England youth-team coach Ben Futcher this week
Futcher, who coaches the Under 20s, is also preparing to take charge of the Under 18s for upcoming qualifiers in March, and Kukonki is one player that figures at the FA want to keep a close eye on.
The youngster has impressed at left back for Darren Fletcher’s Under 18s but was deployed at centre back by Under 21s manager Adam Lawrence versus Chelsea, who ran out 2-0 winners on the night.
Kukonki’s physical prowess, coupled with his ascendance in recent months, makes him an attractive prospect at international level, too.
Nouss the star turn at Iftar
Mazraoui and several of United’s academy players attended the second fan Iftar celebration to be held at Old Trafford.
The event was staged in collaboration with the Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club, with United’s CEO of new stadium development Collette Roche welcoming guests for an evening of prayers and a meal to break their fast during Ramadan.
Mazraoui said: ‘I’m proud to be here and to be part of this community and club with these fantastic people. I was at the first Iftar last year and this is huge! We as a team will give everything to make you proud both during Ramadan – and outside of Ramadan too.’
Mazraoui attends the fan Iftar celebration held at Old Trafford last week
Kids get first-team treat
A nice moment for some starry-eyed pre-academy players in recent days, when they got to meet their heroes at Carrington.
The youngsters, aged around six and seven, were surprised when Carrick’s first-team squad pitched up to pose for photos and sign their jerseys, with parents hailing the ‘unforgettable’ experience.
The first-team training experience also occurred earlier in the season under Amorim, and is seen as a way to connect all age-groups at the club. Cunha and Mainoo are said to have been the two biggest hits!
A Botswana welcome
Finally, it was striking to see the President of the Republic of Botswana, Duma Gideon Boko, discussing Manchester United this week.
He recently launched a Manchester United-Botswana coaching exchange in order to improve the development of coaching in the country.
While this is not a tie-up with Carrick and the first-team squad, six Botswana coaches are Manchester-bound this week and it’s understood they will learn about United’s sport science set-up, youth academy management, player psychology and football operations.
President Boko received a signed Premier League match ball and an autographed United shirt to mark the partnership.
