Kobbie Mainoo could reportedly have the chance to line up alongside Scott McTominay once more after interest from Napoli has recently emerged.
The Manchester United academy graduate’s future has been cast into considerable doubt during the first weeks of the new season. Mainoo watched from the bench as an unused substitute as his colleagues collected one point from their first two Premier League games, prompting numerous reports to claim that the 20-year-old midfielder had reluctantly accepted he may need to leave his boyhood club in search of more first-team opportunities.
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid were credited with interest in the deep-lying playmaker and now it appears that Serie A champions Napoli have joined the jostling list of suitors, according to the Daily Mail. As part of the club’s negotiations over a loan move for Rasmus Højlund, the topic of a potential deal for Mainoo is set to be raised.
The Stockport-born midfielder would find a familiar face plastered across the city of Naples. McTominay—or McFratm, the nickname given to the Scottish midfielder which plays on the Neapolitan slang for “my brother”—won the hearts and minds of fans in his new home while leading Napoli to the Serie A title last term.
Mainoo played 28 games alongside McTominay for United, with both starting the triumphant 2024 FA Cup final. While the more senior academy graduate would head for Serie A soon after that Wembley win, Mainoo has scarcely come close to replicating that peak. Injuries and a tactical clash with Ruben Amorim have underpinned this notable dip.
On his first start for the club since May, Mainoo battled through all 90 minutes of United’s grim EFL Cup second round exit to Grimsby Town on Wednesday evening.
Ahead of the tie, Amorim was asked about the waning England international. “I expect a lot from Kobbie Mainoo and again people think that sometimes you need to just give,” he told Sky Sports. “I think it’s important for Kobbie to fight for his place. I believe a lot in Kobbie— more than everybody thinks—so I expect a lot from him.”
The prevailing expectation surrounding United’s latest flailing former star is that he will leave the club.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Kobbie Mainoo Offered Man Utd Midfield Reunion by New Suitor.