Manchester United and Ruben Amorim are open to selling the bulk of their squad but Danny Murphy insists the Red Devils would be crazy to offload youngster Kobbie Mainoo
Danny Murphy concedes he would "be shocked" to see Manchester United sell Kobbie Mainoo as talk of his exit this summer continues. The Red Devils are looking to increase their budget and all options are being considered.
Mainoo is into his second year with the senior squad having been at the Premier League club since he was young. He burst onto the scene and was a shining light during a poor campaign under Erik ten Hag. He's remained a bright light under Ruben Amorim, albeit his minutes have been limited.
The midfielder is now an England international and stood up during last summer's Euro 2024 campaign, which saw the Three Lions make the final. There is notable interest in Mainoo and, as an academy product, the Manchester outfit could bank any fee as pure profit on their balance sheet.
Amorim needs to bring in his own players if he is to be a success at Old Trafford, but Mainoo again showed his value in the week as he came off the bench to score the equaliser in their dramatic win over Lyon. Alejandro Garnacho is another man linked with the exit door but Murphy insists the pair have huge potential and must be retained.
He wrote in the Daily Mail : "Mainoo and Garnacho are two talented, hungry players capable of having a big impact for United over the next five years or more, whether that’s under Amorim or any other manager. If I was Amorim, I would be talking to Mainoo, talking to my bosses, and making sure he stayed. I would still be shocked to see him leave in the summer."
The ex-Liverpool man insists, whatever the Manchester outfit sell Mainoo for, they would even to shell out even more to land a player of his quality. He cited the decision to sell Scott McTominay back in the summer, another academy player, only to see him do well in Napoli.
Murphy also pointed to United's lack of options in the middle of the park as another reason why keeping Mainoo is so key. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen remain at the club, but both men are the wrong side of 30 and tipped to leave this summer, leaving more gaps to fill.
Amorim hasn't been shy in pointing out Mainoo's flaws, which are why he's sometimes been left on the bench. The teenager has also had to adapt to playing in a two-man midfield, but Murphy insists his weaknesses are normal for a player his age and that good things will come.
He said: "I am surprised he has not featured more for United this season, especially with their problems in midfield, although I appreciate he has had injuries. I know Amorim thinks there has been weaknesses in his defensive work in certain games but that’s normal for a young midfielder in the Premier League who is adapting to playing different positions in United’s system."