Manchester United are on the verge of confirming one of the more significant contract extensions the club has managed in years, with Kobbie Mainoo understood to have verbally agreed to a new five-year deal that will keep the midfielder at Old Trafford until 2031. The agreement, according to multiple reports citing The Sun, comes with a substantial wage increase from his current £20,000 per week to a reported £150,000, reflecting just how dramatically his standing within the squad has shifted over the past few months.
The turnaround in Mainoo’s season is one of the most striking stories in English football this year. Under Ruben Amorim, he made not a single Premier League start, with the former manager appearing to view him as unsuitable for the pressing system and positional demands of his preferred 3-4-3 structure. A January exit was reportedly discussed at one point. Yet Michael Carrick, upon taking the interim reins, immediately restored Mainoo to the starting XI alongside Casemiro in a double pivot, and the results have been stark. In the 11 Premier League games he has started under Carrick, United have won eight, drawn twice, and lost once. The only defeat in that period came in a match where Mainoo was absent through injury.
His performance in the 1-0 win over Chelsea, which Carrick publicly described as the best individual display he had witnessed from the player, reinforced what the coaching staff already knew: when fit and trusted, Mainoo is one of the most technically composed young midfielders in the country. He covered the most ground on the pitch in both the Manchester derby and the victory over Arsenal under Carrick, demonstrating an engine and work rate that belie his age. At 21, he already carries himself with the assurance of a senior international.
The wider context matters. Casemiro’s departure at the end of the season has been confirmed, and Manuel Ugarte’s future at the club remains uncertain given his inconsistent performances. Mainoo is consequently the only central midfielder guaranteed to remain at the club beyond the summer, which places the contract renewal in an entirely different category of urgency. Without him locked in, United’s midfield rebuild this summer would be navigating a much more precarious foundation.
Interim manager Carrick addressed the situation at a recent press conference, saying: “It’s getting closer, so we’re positive with that. We’re calm with it, but we’re positive with it, and time will tell how it goes, but at the moment we’re in a good place.” That measured confidence from someone not given to hyperbole appears to reflect the genuine state of negotiations. An announcement is expected before the end of the current campaign, with INEOS keen to present a narrative of stability ahead of what will be a major summer of squad reconstruction at Old Trafford.
