Mail: Premier League giants were ‘at the front of the queue’ to sign Kobbie Mainoo before Carrick appointment | OneFootball

When Kobbie Mainoo was facing a hugely uncertain future at Manchester United last year, Arsenal had reportedly put themselves ‘at the front of the queue’ to sign him.

That’s according to MailSport, which adds that there’d have been ‘no shortage of takers’ if the midfielder’s situation hadn’t improved and he pushed to leave.

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Kobbie Mainoo: What happened last year?

Mainoo first requested a departure from United in the very closing stages of the 2025 summer window, after he had been an unused substitute for the opening two matches of the Premier League campaign.

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INEOS blocked his exit, and Ruben Amorim eventually granted him some action in the subsequent fixtures – albeit only as a substitute and in heavily reduced cameos.

When he was still being omitted towards the end of the year and in the lead-up to January, it was expected that Mainoo would reiterate his desire to leave, whether on loan or permanently, in order to play a consistent role elsewhere.

Mainoo U-turns on United future after Michael Carrick’s arrival

By the time Amorim was relieved of his duties at the beginning of January, the youngster had not started once in the league and had accumulated only 212 minutes on the pitch.

Thankfully, Michael Carrick was appointed and swiftly put matters right; he instantly restored Mainoo to his starting role alongside Casemiro, where he has stayed ever since while overseeing a tremendous run of form.

Mainoo’s record under Carrick

Most recently, the 21-year-old claimed the Player of the Match award after scoring a late winner in front of the Stretford End to seal a crucial triumph over Liverpool, which also marked a first league double over the Merseyside outfit in a decade.

Alas, it goes without saying that, for supporters, the prospect of seeing their homegrown starlet represent a direct rival like the Gunners is unthinkable, so credit must be given to Carrick for how he managed to correct the crisis.

Last Thursday, it was announced that Mainoo had put pen to paper on a long-term deal in M16, keeping him tied to his boyhood club until June 2031.

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