Man United 'already preparing' new contract for 'special' key player but it 'will take some time'

Manchester United had a busy summer transfer window as they kickstarted this new era at the club. The Red Devils brought in some significant new signings like Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee but they also saw a number of players leave Old Trafford as well.

United finalised the last-minute departures of Scott McTominay, who joined Napoli on a permanent deal, and Jadon Sancho, who will spend the season on loan with Chelsea. The club are still looking at figuring out some other key moves, including contract extensions for important first team players.

Kobbie Mainoo has become a key part of Erik ten Hag’s team and the Red Devils are naturally hoping to keep him at the club for as long as possible. According to Fabrizio Romano, a new contract for the 19-year-old will ‘probably take some time’ as his current deal runs until 2027, but it is still something that United are taking a pro-active approach towards.

Romano, speaking on a recent episode of his Here We Go podcast, said: “For Manchester United, this is a really, really important story. In this case, the contract is very long, so it's not something they have to do this week or next week. It will probably take some time. But Manchester United internally are already preparing this new contract proposal, because they want Kobbie Mainoo to be one of the faces of the new era of INEOS.

“They are super happy with the player and super happy with what he represents. He is a super professional player, a super talent, who is already making an impact with the English national team despite being super young, so he is one of the faces of this project.”

Mainoo’s breakthrough 2023/24 season saw him establish himself as a regular part of Ten Hag’s lineup, making 24 starts in the Premier League alone. The midfielder can operate more defensively and further forward in the middle of the park — he contributed five goals and three assists across both the league and FA Cup last campaign.

Mainoo’s efforts also earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, where he was selected to start four of their seven fixtures, including the final. The 19-year-old is unarguably one of the most exciting young stars making his mark at the moment, and with United pushing for a much stronger Premier League run than last season, fans can only expect to see Mainoo continue to flourish.

He has already received glowing reviews from former United stars, including Paul Scholes. After Mainoo’s Man of the Match performance in United’s FA Cup final win, the 49-year-old took to Instagram with high praise for his fellow midfielder.

“Read a few comparisons between me and this kid last week... don't waste your time, he is 10 times the player I was at 19. Just love the way he receives the ball, the calmness, the awareness of what's around him and of course big goals in big games. This boy is special.”