Manchester United are striving to finish the transfer window in strong fashion, though they may face a difficult question to answer regarding one of their finest academy graduates.
Manchester United miss chance to see off Fulham
Ruben Amorim will need to wait a little longer for his first victory of the Premier League season after Manchester United missed the chance to see off Fulham at Craven Cottage last Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty that would’ve put his side in the ascendancy before Emile Smith-Rowe cancelled out Leny Yoro’s opener to leave the Red Devils with a point from their first two top-flight matches.
In the face of an underwhelming start, Wayne Rooney has indicated that Amorim has pressure on his shoulders if he is to become a successful manager at Old Trafford, claiming results need to occur sooner rather than later.
He stated on the Wayne Rooney Show: “There are no excuses now for the manager this season. He’s got to start getting results and getting results quickly because once you start getting into October, November, if results don’t change drastically then that’s when pressure comes. United really needed to hit the ground running this season and one point from six is a worry.”
Senne Lammens could be on his way to Manchester United from Royal Antwerp to alleviate pressure on Andre Onana between the sticks. Meanwhile, Adam Wharton may swap Crystal Palace for the Red Devils to fill the vacant hole in their midfield.
Nevertheless, sales will be needed to sanction more incomings, and Amorim now faces an intriguing question involving a member of his first-team squad who could now be set for the exit door.
Kobbie Mainoo could leave Manchester United
According to talkSPORT, Kobbie Mainoo would consider a Manchester United exit before the window shuts after being an unused substitute in their first two Premier League matches against Arsenal and Fulham, having previously wanted to sign a new deal.
The England international has been told to fight for his place by Amorim, who stated in his post-match press conference: “He’s fighting for the position now with Bruno. I let Mason Mount (play) there because we want to score a goal, and when I changed, I felt the team needed to return to one holding midfielder near Bruno.”
Beaten to the 2024 Golden Boy award by Lamine Yamal, they both enjoyed breakthrough campaigns at last summer’s European Championships and Mainoo found himself in the top-five ranking for best teenagers in world football via the CIES Football Observatory, alongside the Spain international.
Last season, Mainoo scored twice and claimed an assist in 37 appearances across all competitions, albeit he did struggle to replicate his exploits in 2023/24, where he struck on five occasions.
Amorim doesn’t seem to have the Carrington graduate at the forefront of his mind, though it remains to be seen what interest could arise for his services in the final stretch of the window.