Carrick in dreamland as Man Utd ‘verbally agree’ brilliant midfield deal | OneFootball

Manchester United have verbally agreed a deal with a midfielder and it’s thanks in no small part to Michael Carrick.

Carrick is well placed to become the next permanent manager of Man Utd on the back of his stellar spell as interim boss.

The 44-year-old has overseen eight wins, two draws and just two defeats from his 12 matches thus far. Among the teams Carrick has already vanquished include Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

One of the key reasons why Carrick has turned United’s ship around so quickly is the faith he’s placed in Kobbie Mainoo.

The academy graduate looked lost under former boss Ruben Amorim and actually requested a loan exit in the previous summer window.

Mainoo was on course to request an exit once again in January before Carrick’s arrival around the turn of the year breathed new life into his Man Utd career.

The 21-year-old is already a guaranteed starter under Carrick and earlier in April, our insider, Graeme Bailey, revealed Man Utd had made thrashing out a new and improved contract with the midfielder a top priority.

The decision to go all in on Mainoo was taken in conjunction with Mainoo’s revival since Carrick took the reins.

Naturally, Carrick is overjoyed at the prospect of managing Mainoo for many years to come, assuming he gets the job outright, of course.

Man Utd verbally agree Kobbie Mainoo contract

Talks ramped up earlier in 2026 and according to the latest from The Sun, Mainoo and Man Utd have now ‘verbally agreed’ a contract extension.

It’s claimed a five-year deal running until 2031 will be signed, and Mainoo is in line to earn a colossal pay rise up to roughly £150,000-a-week.

At this point in the story, you might be questioning what the new contract means for Man Utd’s summer transfer plans in midfield.

Indeed, it’s no secret United are in the market for two new midfielders, with Casemiro leaving via free agency and Manuel Ugarte on the chopping block.

Ahead of a return to the Champions League and a much denser fixture list, Man Utd do still aim to add two high quality new midfielders.

Want more breaking transfer lines from original sources? Add TEAMtalk as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.

However, The Sun stressed it’s Mainoo who could still find himself in the starting eleven most weeks next year, meaning both of the two new signings, whoever they may be, aren’t guaranteed to walk straight into the XI.

The report added: ‘[Man Utd] are targeting a defensive midfield signing in the summer to partner him (Mainoo) next season.’

Man Utd’s No 1 midfield target is Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest. Other targets confirmed as being on their shortlist include Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton and Sandro Tonali, and per the latest coming out of Italy, a Dutch international can now be added to that list too…