Manchester United may not expect many new arrivals during the January transfer window, but one club legend has predicted one player is bound for the departure lounge
Paul Scholes has insisted Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo “will have to leave” the club as his search for game time under Ruben Amorim endures. Mainoo came off the bench to make a 12-minute cameo in Monday’s 4-1 demolition against Wolves but has still been largely discarded by his manager.
Amorim has been defiant over the matter and insisted he’ll be the one to decide whom is worthy of selection. However, there’s a consensus around the club Mainoo is being severely underused, and Scholes would appear to concur.
Elsewhere, Benjamin Sesko‘s agent has given fans an idea of when to expect the summer signing back from injury. The Red Devils are looking to continue their rise against Bournemouth on Monday as Mirror Football unearths the latest headlines around Old Trafford.
Scholes says Mainoo will ‘have to leave’
Amid the swell of support for Mainoo during his semi-exile, Scholes has joined the legions of fans insisting the player deserves more. And the Treble-winner can’t wrap his head around why the academy graduate hasn’t made more starts under the current administration.
Mainoo, 20, was a regular starter under Amorim last term but has come off the bench in each of his 10 Premier League outings so far this season. And that’s left Scholes under no illusion a player of his potential will therefore have to leave if he’s to get a regular place and improve his odds of featuring at the 2026 World Cup.
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“Ruben Amorim has said Kobbie Mainoo is a starter… every appearance he’s made in the Premier League has been as a sub,” said the United great on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. “Things like that wind me up.
“I wouldn’t mind if he was in a good team and they were winning every week and keeping possession but they’re rubbish. Kobbie is a 20-year-old kid and he’s not playing, he’s going to have to leave.
“Do you know what will happen now? Amorim will bring him into a game, and he won’t be great, but that’s because he needs regular games.”
Mainoo continues to be linked with a move to Napoli, who have already revived the career of two United outcasts in Scott McTominay and more recently Rasmus Hojlund. In the meantime, Mainoo’s quest for consistency at Old Trafford lingers on.
Sesko’s agent gives comeback timeline
Despite scoring four goals at Molineux on Monday, there’s a hunger to see Sesko back at the tip of United’s spear. Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount have helped provide alternatives leading the line in different capacities, but Sesko’s recent injury came at a time when he just looked to be hitting his stride.
There was an initial panic when the Slovenia frontman went down with a knee injury against Tottenham prior to November’s international window. However, the player’s agent, Elvis Basanovic, has given some indication as to when fans might expect to see the striker return.
“Benjamin is feeling very well. His rehabilitation is progressing according to plan,” he said during a recent appearance on Slovenian television. “It’s hard to say precisely when he will return.
“That will be up to the medical staff and the manager, but I think we’ll see him back on the pitch very soon. Maybe even sooner than expected.”
Those comments don’t give much away, though “sooner than expected” is the part many fans will hang onto. Sesko, 22, has only scored twice in 11 Premier League outings, though it’s his wider work knitting together the forward line to help bring Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to the fore that has been most valuable to date.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
