Manchester United officially announced that Ruben Amorim has stepped down from his position as the club's manager, with Darren Fletcher named as the interim boss.
The tensions between Kobbie Mainoo and former manager Ruben Amorim are already well-known to the public. It is no secret that the relationship between the two was quite tense. Within Amorim’s tactical system, Mainoo failed to secure consistent playing time and sufficient trust, which directly led the player to consider leaving the club on loan in pursuit of more game time. However, it should be made clear that Mainoo never thought about bidding a permanent farewell to Manchester United
what he wanted was merely a loan spell, hoping to accumulate experience and improve his form through consistent competitive matches, and eventually return to Old Trafford as a stronger player. This is essentially different from a permanent transfer. Serie A side Napoli has long maintained interest in the young English midfielder, but now with Amorim’s sacking, Manchester United’s management is facing a new decision-making situation.
Against the backdrop of the upcoming appointment of a new manager, the club’s attitude towards Mainoo is expected to shift. The senior management will likely adopt a protective strategy, granting more patience and trust to this homegrown academy talent instead of letting him leave easily. After all, in the eyes of the club’s top brass, Mainoo represents the future hope of Manchester United’s midfield and occupies an important position in the team’s long-term reconstruction plan.
Therefore, despite constant external rumors, the current situation regarding Mainoo is relatively calm—the club tends to hold off for the time being, waiting for the new manager to take office before jointly evaluating the player’s future plans.
As for Joshua Zirkzee, the situation is completely different. The Dutch striker is not a product of Manchester United’s academy, so his case is distinct from Mainoo’s. AS Roma has maintained persistent and strong interest in him and is actively pushing forward the transfer process. According to sources in Italy, Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini and sporting director Tiago Pinto have identified Zirkzee as their top target for strengthening the forward line, and it is expected that they will step up their pursuit efforts in the coming weeks.
