Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will needs to give serious consideration to an exit from the club and risks becoming “the forgotten man” if he doesn’t make the right move, according to BBC Senior Football Correspondent Sami Mokbel.
Mainoo seems to have slipped back quite a way since his 2023-24 breakthrough campaign under Erik ten Hag, when he scored in the FA Cup final and started for England in the Euro 2024 final.
After he was an unused substitute against Fulham on Sunday, Ruben Amorim said the 20-year-old is “fighting for the position now with Bruno [Fernandes]”.
Kobbie Mainoo was an unused sub during the Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on August 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
“If he’s got to fight with the captain of the football club for his position, it doesn’t bode well for Kobbie Mainoo,” Mokbel told the Football Daily podcast.
“My understanding is that Mainoo reluctantly will consider offers going forward because I think he’s realised his opportunities at Manchester United are going to be few and far between this season given his direct competition is the captain.
“I think there will be a lot of takers. Chelsea historically have an interest but they’re pretty well-stocked in central midfield at the moment.
“In a World Cup year, for a guy who started in the Euro 2024 final for England, he needs to be playing football and in my opinion needs to give serious consideration for an exit from United.
“He’s maybe going to have to go down a rung lower on the Premier League ladder than he’d want to.
“I’d imagine for Kobbie Mainoo, as important as it is to play Premier League football, going down the food chain is fraught with concerns. If the step down doesn’t go well, where do you go from there?
“Sometimes your career is governed by your transfers and what moves you take and if you don’t make the right one you can very quickly become the forgotten man.”
