In an ever more globalised game, and one obsessed with transfer activity, it’s easy to forget that there is perhaps even greater pleasure for supporters at seeing a homegrown talent emerge – not least at a club like Manchester United.
The modern, post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been a rocky one, but arguably the brightest lights have emerged from Carrington, be it Marcus Rashford under Louis van Gaal, Scott McTominay under Jose Mourinho and Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo under Erik ten Hag.
The debate over whether it was right to move them on or not will continue to rage, but it is telling that three of that notable list of four are no longer part of the first-team ranks at Old Trafford, with Mainoo also now on the periphery under Ruben Amorim.
In an era of PSR and pure profit, academy sales have remarkably almost become incentivised, with the INEOS regime likely to be tempted to sell the 20-year-old sensation should his bit-part role continue.
For all the question marks over his suitability to Amorim’s system, it would be a crying shame if Mainoo were to depart in 2026 or beyond, with the 2024 FA Cup final hero surely deserving of a prime place as the centre-piece of the club’s long-term project.
The only saving grace, thankfully, is that the Stockport-born starlet isn’t the only rising star currently on the books – the Red Devils do at least have another talent on the conveyor belt to turn to.
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It is not hyperbole to suggest that there are question marks surrounding every senior midfielder in Amorim’s side right now, with drastic change likely to occur in that department, be it in January or next summer.
As already alluded too, Mainoo – in the short-term at least – looks destined to move on, amid talk of a loan move, with the ten-cap England international yet to even start a Premier League game this season.
The man he is directly competing with – as suggested by Amorim in the past – is Bruno Fernandes, albeit with the Portuguese genius’ own future up for debate, having come close to joining Saudi side Al Hilal over the summer.
At 31, the former Sporting CP certainly has plenty left in the tank, although he did hint that he will consider his situation again following next year’s World Cup, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2027.
Speaking of expiring contracts, there has been little news regarding the future of Casemiro, with the resurgent Brazilian’s current deal coming to a climax in June.
Currently raking in a reported £350k-per-week, the 33-year-old would seemingly have to take a significant pay cut to stay put in Manchester, with United and Amorim in need of a long-term replacement regardless, considering his age.
Manuel Ugarte was meant to be that defensive-minded, ball-winning successor, although the Uruguayan – starter in just two league games in 2025/26 – is also running out of rope at Old Trafford, in what is his second season at the club.
Games (starts)
29 (22)
9 (2)
Goals
1
0
Assists
2
0
Big chances created
3
0
Key passes*
0.3
0.1
Pass accuracy*
89%
86%
Total duels won*
53%
59%
Balls recovered*
4.2
2.2
Dribbled past*
1.3
0.4
Possession lost*
6.2
3.4
Having been given a dressing down by Amorim in front of his teammates following the Europa League final – in which he played no part – the former Sporting man is getting no favouritism right now, far from it, having yet to convince he is of United quality.
The 24-year-old is the de facto third-choice midfielder at present, although that is not a status he has warranted, with club legend Gary Neville putting it best when describing him as “not good enough” after the Manchester derby.
In truth, an in-house replacement is needed, both this season and beyond.
Man Utd’s new Mainoo can replace Ugarte
Ten Hag has become a figure of ridicule for many, but it’s easy to forget the initial progress he had made in the United dugout, setting a sinking ship back on course again following that initial calamity at Brentford.
In February 2023, for instance, United reached their apex under the Dutchman, memorably seeing off Barcelona in the Europa League, while also securing a deserved 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
In the aftermath of that triumph, Ten Hag turned from short-term celebrations to long-term thinking, making a beeline for a 17-year-old Mainoo amid the jubilation, seemingly outlining that the teenager would have a part to play in such scenes later down the line.
While injury ensured it took until November 2023 for a first-team role to truly emerge – after making just three appearances in 2022/23 – Ten Hag’s faith in Mainoo was more than warranted, following his Man of the Match Premier League debut at Goodison.
Almost exactly two years on, and with Everton again the opponent, Amorim might well consider unleashing the next Mainoo-shaped figure into the midfield, in the form of Carrington sensation, Jack Fletcher.
The man who kept the club’s matchday academy record alive against Spurs, having been named on the bench in the absence of Mainoo, Fletcher – son of Darren and brother of fellow youth-team star, Tyler – is inching ever closer to a senior bow, with midfield evidently an area to address for Amorim.
Described as among the “best young players in England”, in the view of analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, the left-footed Fletcher looks primed for a left-sided central midfield role, having also been trialled at left-back in recent times in the youth ranks.
In the view of Mattinson, the 18-year-old is “one of the most technical of the lot” in the academy set-up, with his elegance and athleticism also ensuring he has “everything you’d want” from a left-sided number eight.
An England youth international, the former Manchester City starlet has enjoyed a promising 2025/26 thus far with three goals and one assist from ten recorded games, as per Transfermarkt, notably netting in the EFL Trophy defeat to Barnsley, prior to seeing red.
Oakwell was previously the scene for the standout moment of his United journey to date, as the Englishman netted twice to claim a comeback 3-2 win in the same competition last season, including an outrageous, long-range half volley at the death.
Much like there was an appetite for transfers over the summer, there is a real desire among the United faithful to see the next Mainoo, the next McTominay emerge in the coming weeks and months.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
With Mainoo, unfortunately, on the fringes, and Ugarte simply not up to scratch, Fletcher might well be primed to sneak into the mix as a genuine challenger to Casemiro before too long.
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