Kobbie Mainoo has signed a new long-term contract at Manchester United, with Arsenal reportedly interested in the midfielder before the deal was agreed
Michael Carrick appears to have been instrumental in preventing Kobbie Mainoo from making the switch to Arsenal this summer. The young midfielder’s future at Manchester United had been a topic of considerable speculation in recent months, before clarity emerged last week.
Mainoo put pen to paper on a new long-term deal with United that extends until the summer of 2031, effectively ending suggestions that he could depart Old Trafford during the current transfer window.
The 21-year-old had been strongly linked with a potential exit during Ruben Amorim’s tenure as United boss, but those rumours have subsided since Carrick took charge back in January.
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal had been exploring the prospect of signing Mainoo ahead of the summer transfer window, should the opportunity have presented itself at the end of the season.
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However, with Mainoo now committed to a new contract – reportedly valued at £150,000-per-week (£7.8million annually) – any possibility of him leaving United for Arsenal has been extinguished.
Carrick has been pivotal in keeping Mainoo at the club, with the interim head coach reinstating him as a regular starter since taking over from Amorim in the Old Trafford hot seat.
Mainoo has completed the entire 90 minutes on 12 occasions out of the 14 matches overseen by Carrick, with one other appearance seeing the United youth product feature for 76 minutes.
The only fixture Mainoo has been absent from under Carrick’s stewardship was ther loss against Leeds United, when the England international was ruled out through injury.
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Prior to Carrick’s appointment, Mainoo hadn’t featured in United’s starting line-up for any Premier League encounter this season, but has subsequently been included in the first XI for every league match he’s been fit for since the managerial switch in January.
Mainoo netted the decisive goal in United’s 3-2 triumph against Liverpool in the Premier League at the weekend, and afterwards lauded the influence Carrick has shown in recent months.
“He’s [Carrick] played a huge part,” Mainoo told Sky Sports after United’s win over Liverpool on Sunday. “The confidence in not just me but all the players.
“You want to follow him and fight for him and die for him on the pitch. That’s what we showed today.”
Arsenal will now have to look at other targets for the summer transfer window if they decide to go inot the market for midfield reinforcements.
The Gunners brought Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard to north London last summer as they strengthened their midfield and it remains unclear if the club will look for further new signings in the middle of the park this time around.
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