Man Utd madness as unforgivable transfer blunder on the brink of happening AGAIN

Manchester United could be poised to make an unforgivable transfer mistake as a top Serie A side prepares to resume talks to sign Kobbie Mainoo in January over his lack of starts so far this season, with TEAMtalk fearing the Red Devils could be on the verge of history repeating itself.

Mainoo has played just over 200 minutes of action for Ruben Amorim’s side so far this season and was once again forced to watch on from the bench as Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes started in central midfield in Saturday’s win over Sunderland, coming on for a 13-minute cameo at the end of the game.

While the victory went a little way to easing the growing pressure on Amorim, it’s abundantly clear that the Man Utd boss does not trust Mainoo to be a regular starter in his rigid 3-4-2-1 system. Indeed, the England midfielder’s only start this season came in the embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat at Grimsby.

And, after already securing the services of Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund from Old Trafford, Napoli are reportedly once again interested in taking a third United outcast and are eager to resume talks in January.

Multiple Italian sources, along with the Daily Mail, report that Napoli have once again ramped up their pursuit of Mainoo, who had also been a target during the summer transfer window.

Indeed, The Mail reports that Mainoo was willing to join Napoli on loan a few months ago, but the Red Devils blocked his exit at that time.

TuttoMercatoWeb, meanwhile, adds that the 20-year-old will ask to leave in January if he fails to get more playing time, something TEAMtalk insider Dean Jones has previously confirmed to us.

The Italian media outlet says Napoli directors spoke with ‘great interest’ with the player’s agents over the summer and would be ready to make a new attempt in the next transfer, if indeed Mainoo does push to leave.

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Man Utd playing risky Mainoo game

United are running the risk of lightning striking twice when it comes to losing hugely talented midfielders to Napoli, after Scott McTominay’s move there in 2024.

The Scotland international was a league winner in his first campaign in Naples, playing a huge factor in that Serie A triumph as he netted 12 goals and added six assists for Antonio Conte’s men.

While this season has started quite so well for McTominay, he’s now been joined by another United star in the shape of misfit striker Rasmus Hojlund.

After a massive struggle for goals at Old Trafford, Hojlund has so far netted three times in five appearances for Napoli and looks a different player to the one who has struggled badly during his time in Manchester.

It follows a familiar pattern of players who have not had much of an impact at United but then gone on to excel elsewhere after leaving, either on loan or permanently, in recent times.

When Mainoo emerged on the scene at Old Trafford, he looked for all the world that he would be a starter for the next decade. However, Amorim is clearly seeing something that is stopping using him as a regular starter in the Premier League – although that is probably more a system-based thing than anything else.

The big worry there is what would happen with Mainoo if Amorim manages to keep his job until January and then United are forced into a decision with the player.

A permanent sale could be deemed a massive mistake, especially if Amorim then gets jettisoned at some point in the second half of the campaign and his replacement comes in and plays a system far more suited to Mainoo’s strengths.

Whatever the scenario, United are facing a huge decision over Mainoo in the new year, and it could end up being one that they regret.

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United have ambitious plans to sign Bayern Munich star Aleksandar Pavlovic, a Bundesliga specialist has confirmed – though our sources have revealed the player the Red Devils are much more likely to set their gaze on signing in 2026.

Meanwhile, former United winger Antony has hit out at the club for the “rudeness” shown to him by unnamed club officials towards the back end of his stay, having given a strong explanation as to why he really struggled for form at Old Trafford.

And finally, David Ornstein is adamant that United have no plans to sack Ruben Amorim any time soon, but has revealed the one pressing transfer issue they did not fix in the summer and is now seen as a major reason for their struggles so far this season.