Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick has hinted that a brand new contract for Kobbie Mainoo is getting closer, with the club in a ‘good place with it.’
The 20-year-old burst into the Red Devils first team as a young person under Erik ten Hag before dropping down the pecking order under the management of Ruben Amorim.
His future at Old Trafford was doubtful, with a loan exit heavily touted before the departure of Amorim and the arrival of Carrick as interim boss.
The previous England midfielder has restored Mainoo to the starting XI and the Manchester United academy product has been an everyday through the upturn in form under Carrick.
A lot in order that he has returned to the England squad and has restored hopes of going to the World Cup this summer with Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
Mainoo’s Manchester United contract expires in the summertime of 2027 and the club is keen to increase it, although it is going to cost them quite a bit greater than his current deal does.
The 12-cap England international is currently paid around £25,000-a-week and is prone to see that increased by about £100,000-a-week if he signs a brand new contract.
Ahead of the Red Devils’ clash with Leeds United on Monday night, Carrick was asked if he’s confident Mainoo will indeed sign a brand new take care of the club.
‘Obviously we’d prefer to think so, yeah, and it’s getting closer so we’re positive with that,’ said Carrick.
‘We’re calm with it, but we’re positive with it. Time will tell the way it goes, but in the mean time we’re in a great place with it.’
Carrick made it clear when he returned to the club in January that he thought highly of Mainoo, declaring that he has known the midfielder for years, dating back to his previous coaching stint with Manchester United.
‘I actually enjoyed working with Kobbie. I even have known him since he was young,’ Carrick said in January. ‘I began working with him when he was 13, 14 years old once I was going through my badges.
‘This club needs young players coming through and laying the muse for understanding what it means, not just for the players or the squad, but for the club and the supporters.
‘It’s something we’d like to understand and construct on and Kobbie is a main example. To come back through so quickly and have that rapid rise, he needed to play in some awfully big games and had to affect those it shows an awful lot of quality when it comes to his character and with the ability to handle it.’
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Manchester United can cement third spot within the Premier League table after they host Leeds on Monday night, with victory moving them three points ahead of Aston Villa in fourth.
A return to the Champions League is looking increasingly likely as teams around them stumble, including Villa who drew with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
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