Kobbie Mainoo to sign new deal

Manchester United have agreed a contract extension with Kobbie Mainoo, ending months of uncertainty around one of the club’s most important academy graduates. (nytimes.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Multiple reports on Wednesday said the new deal will run until 2031. The Press Association, via Yahoo Sports, said United had reached an agreement with the midfielder. (nytimes.com) (sports.yahoo.com) Mainoo is 21 and has already made 98 appearances for his boyhood club, according to the Press Association report. He has scored seven goals for United’s first team, including in the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City. (sports.yahoo.com) (independent.co.uk) The timing matters because Mainoo’s future looked far less certain earlier this year. The Athletic reported that his improved form has changed how United can approach their midfield business this summer. (nytimes.com) Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick said on April 12 that he hoped Mainoo would sign a new contract before the end of the campaign. Carrick had also praised the midfielder’s role in his team in February, calling attention to the value of academy players in the senior side. (manutd.com 1) (manutd.com 2) Casemiro said on April 1 that Mainoo was “destined for a long career at the top of the game,” and the club noted he had started every match under Carrick after returning to the side. (manutd.com) For United, the agreement keeps a homegrown midfielder at the center of the squad before the summer window opens. For Mainoo, it turns a season of questions into a long-term commitment at Old Trafford. (nytimes.com) (sports.yahoo.com)