Kobbie Mainoo's relationship with Man United is at 'breaking point'

As statements go, the roar that greeted Kobbie Mainoo’s introduction as a substitute after an hour of Manchester United’s crazy draw with Bournemouth on Monday night will have resonated more with Ruben Amorim than anything the player’s half-brother could print on a T-shirt.

Before Jordan Mainoo-Hames made a demonstration of his own at Old Trafford, fans were reminding Amorim of just how much they love the 20-year-old midfielder from Stockport and want him to stay at the club.

It’s looking like an increasingly forlorn hope, however, with just 13 days to go until the January transfer window swings open and Mainoo expected to make another attempt to jump straight through it.

When he asked to go out on loan to Napoli in the summer, United blocked the move on the basis that a replacement couldn’t be signed before the deadline.

If they hoped the next four months might convince Mainoo he had an important role to play, they couldn't have been more wrong. Monday’s half-hour appearance off the bench nudged his total minutes in the Premier League this season to 212, without a single start to his name.

The clock is counting down to England’s opening World Cup game against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, and Mainoo is in the international wilderness.

A starter in the Euro 2024 final last year, he needs regular club football to convince Thomas Tuchel to call him in from the cold, and yet remains as peripheral to Amorim’s plans as ever.

Even in the unlikely event that he is picked ahead of Manuel Ugarte to replace the suspended Casemiro at Aston Villa on Sunday, it will be a temporary fix.

Daily Mail Sport understands Mainoo’s relationship with his boyhood club is now at breaking point.

With no contract proposal on the table, he continues to earn around £40,000 a week – roughly a third of his market value.

Mainoo sees no future for himself at Old Trafford under Amorim, and if a loan move in January included an option to leave permanently, then he would now consider it.

Napoli are still at the front of the queue and there is a growing optimism in southern Italy that Antonio Conte will get his man this time, reuniting Mainoo with Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund.

When pictures of Jordan wearing his ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt reached Naples on Monday night, there was a buzz of excitement. ‘Incredible protest at Old Trafford by the brother of Napoli's target,’ read one headline. ‘Azzurri ready to push,’ said another.

According to club sources, other members of the Mainoo camp are more sensitive to his long association with United – and how it should end if that is to be the case – such as his father Felix, who has been a calm presence on the sidelines for the entirety of Kobbie’s life in football.

Mainoo feels that he has been left with little option but to seek a fresh start even though it was always his intention to make it as a United player, and he has continued to train well despite the lack of regular football.

It’s understood that Amorim has re-iterated to him in private that he is in direct competition with captain Bruno Fernandes for the attacking midfield role in his 3-4-2-1 system.

An ideal fit for Erik ten Hag’s 4-2-3-1 formation, Mainoo has become the odd man out under Amorim who does not feel he is suited to the defensive role alongside Fernandes occupied by Casemiro or Ugarte, nor one of the advanced positions well stocked by Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Amad Diallo and Mason Mount.

Playing three midfielders would open up a spot for Mainoo, and Amorim demonstrated a willingness to adapt his system when he alternated between a back-three and back-four against Bournemouth.

‘Maybe if you play with three midfielders, not with just two, but with three, Kobbie will have more minutes,’ said Amorim earlier this week while making it clear that he will not play Mainoo just to please supporters who want a local boy in their team.

‘Of course, he's not playing so many games, but Kobbie has had opportunities, especially last year. I also just want to win and if he's the right guy, I will put him in.’

It may already be too late. While Roy Keane has told Mainoo to stay and fight for a place, other ex-United players like Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt have urged him to get out for the good of his career, and the player is of the latter opinion.

Let’s not forget that United hold most of the cards in this game. Mainoo is under contract until June 2027 and the club have the option to extend it by another year. In theory, he could be tied to Old Trafford for another two-and-a-half years, hence the ‘Free Kobbie’ message.

But United have indicated they would listen to an exceptional offer next month, and if the club can sign a replacement better suited to Amorim’s system, then it would make sense for him to go.

When Daily Mail Sport broke the news last January that Mainoo could leave United – a hitherto unthinkable scenario – the core issue was a stalemate in contract talks.

The player felt unhappy that the salary on offer didn’t reflect his growing status, and the club were tempted by the prospect of making maximum profit under PSR rules by selling a homegrown talent.

Mainoo lowered his personal demands but no offer was forthcoming, and almost a year on it feels as if the only terms he will be discussing with United are a severance package.

Meanwhile supporters who have already seen Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and McTominay leave Old Trafford fear they are about to kiss goodbye to another jewel of United’s academy. As the fans demonstrated on Monday night, none of them are as precious as Kobbie Mainoo.