Football
Exclusive: Manchester United Outcast Kobbie Mainoo Eyes Comeback at Old Trafford After Ruben Amorim Exit
Manchester United outcast Kobbie Mainoo aims to revive his Old Trafford career after Ruben Amorim's departure. With Darren Fletcher in charge, the midfielder hopes to impress and earn a spot in the first team. Will he be able to make a comeback?
Manchester United v Bournemouth - Premier League by Marc Atkins | Getty Images
Manchester United outcast Kobbie Mainoo hopes he can get his Old Trafford career back on track now Ruben Amorim has gone, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Sources close to the player have told us that the former academy graduate is now chomping at the bit to try and win a place back in the first team after a season to forget so far.
Mainoo was widely-tipped to leave the club, with Italian champions Napoli interested in his signature, as well as a host of other top clubs.
But Mainoo is well-known to interim boss Darren Fletcher, the former Manchester United midfielder who has been told to take over until the club find a caretaker boss for the remainder of the season.
How long Fletcher will be given in the driving seat remains to be seen, but the club’s Under-18 coach has worked with a lot of the club’s exciting young prospects, which includes his two sons, Tyler and Jack.
Midfielder Jack has featured three times for United this season as a substitute, while fellow midfielder Tyler has yet to make his Premier League debut, but has played in the EFL Trophy for the club.
SportsBoom’s sources recently linked Mainoo with a potential loan move to Tottenham as he looks to get his career back on track, while Italian clubs Roma and Napoli were also reportedly interested in the young midfielder.
ACADEMY PATHWAY
And Mainoo has followed the same pathway to United’s first team before surprisingly falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
Former striker Marcus Rashford was another academy graduate who wasn’t in Amorim’s plans and he ultimately joined Barcelona.
The ex-England striker could return now Amorim has gone but it is likely Barca will pay the £30.3million fee to make his current season-long loan permanent at the end of the season.
But for Mainoo, now is the time for the midfielder to get his career back on track and the chance to impress Fletcher and co to earn a way back into the starting XI.
Capped ten times by his country, the 20-year-old still has a bright future ahead of him if he can show resilience and rediscover the form which won him international recognition.
He has played 11 Premier League games this season, but largely as a substitute under Amorim’s forgettable reign.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.