Michael Carrick drops hint over new contract for Manchester United star | Football

Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick has hinted that a new contract for Kobbie Mainoo is getting closer, with the club in a ‘good place with it.’

The 20-year-old burst into the Red Devils first team as a teenager under Erik ten Hag before dropping down the pecking order under the management of Ruben Amorim.

His future at Old Trafford was in doubt, with a loan exit heavily touted before the departure of Amorim and the arrival of Carrick as interim boss.

The former England midfielder has restored Mainoo to the starting XI and the Manchester United academy product has been a regular during the upturn in form under Carrick.

So much so that he has returned to the England squad and has restored hopes of going to the World Cup this summer with Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Mainoo’s Manchester United contract expires in the summer of 2027 and the club is keen to extend it, although it will cost them a lot more than his current deal does.

The 12-cap England international is currently paid around £25,000-a-week and is likely to see that increased by about £100,000-a-week if he signs a new contract.

Ahead of the Red Devils’ clash with Leeds United on Monday night, Carrick was asked if he is confident Mainoo will indeed sign a new deal with the club.

‘Obviously we’d like to think so, yeah, and it’s getting closer so we’re positive with that,’ said Carrick.

‘We’re calm with it, but we’re positive with it. Time will tell how it goes, but at the moment we’re in a good place with it.’

Carrick made it clear when he returned to the club in January that he thought highly of Mainoo, pointing out that he has known the midfielder for years, dating back to his previous coaching stint with Manchester United.

‘I really enjoyed working with Kobbie. I have known him since he was young,’ Carrick said in January. ‘I started working with him when he was 13, 14 years old when I was going through my badges.

‘This club needs young players coming through and laying the foundation for understanding what it means, not only for the players or the squad, but for the club and the supporters.

‘It is something we need to grasp and build on and Kobbie is a prime example. To come through so quickly and have that rapid rise, he had to play in some awfully big games and had to impact those it shows an awful lot of quality in terms of his character and being able to handle it.’

Manchester United can cement third spot in the Premier League table when they host Leeds on Monday night, with victory moving them three points ahead of Aston Villa in fourth.

A return to the Champions League is looking increasingly likely as teams around them stumble, including Villa who drew with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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