Manchester United’s record of including an academy graduate in every matchday squad for the past 87 years threatens to derail Kobbie Mainoo’s chances of a January exit, it’s been reported.
Mainoo wanted to leave United on loan in the summer after struggling for minutes under Ruben Amorim, who has handed the 20-year-old just 113 Premier League minutes across five appearances so far this season.
Given his continued struggles, Mainoo is expected to push for a departure from United again midway through the season, but ESPN note his status as an academy graduate could actually work against him.
United have had at least one academy graduate in every matchday squad over the past 87 years, but options in Amorim’s current squad are limited. The summer sale of Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea, coupled with loan exits for Marcus Rashford and Toby Collyer alongside Jonny Evans’s retirement, leaves Mainoo as just one of two senior graduates in Amorim’s squad.
Third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton counts towards the tally, while young defender Tyler Fredricson is an occasional feature in Amorim’s squad.
Amorim: I Don’t Want to Be Guy That Breaks Tradition
During the 2–0 win over Sunderland before the international break, Mainoo was the only academy graduate in the matchday squad. Letting the midfielder go would increase the scrutiny on Amorim if he becomes the manager who oversaw the end of an 87-year run.
“We want to maintain it,” Amorim said of the record recently. “The past of Manchester United is built on kids. I don’t want to be the guy that breaks that.”
United are braced for crunch talks with Mainoo about his future in the team heading up to the January transfer window, while striker Joshua Zirkzee will also be seeking clarification over his role after tumbling down the pecking order.
It was recently claimed that Zirkzee has grown increasingly frustrated by his limited minutes—just 82 across all competitions this season.
Both players are sweating over their international roles ahead of next summer’s World Cup, with neither Mainoo nor Zirkzee earning spots in their respective squads during the current international window.
There is interest in the pair from Serie A. Napoli are known admirers of Mainoo and Zirkzee has emerged as a target for Juventus.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kobbie Mainoo’s Proposed Man Utd Exit Hit by Fresh Complication.
