Manchester United make Transfer Decision on Kobbie Mainoo after Impressing in Lyon Friendly

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Manchester United have made a decision over the future of wonderkid midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, according to a new report.

Mainoo played the first half of United’s 1-0 friendly win over Lyon on Wednesday, impressing both manager Erik ten Hag and onlookers.

The 18-year-old was promoted to train with the first team squad last season, and made his Premier League debut against Leicester in March.

He was also afforded opportunities in the League Cup and FA Cup, and was named as the club’s Young Player of the Season at a recent awards ceremony.

As per United in Focus, the playmaker completed 94 per cent of his passes during the first half against Lyon, and he has been named in the squad to travel to the United States.

There appeared to be two options on the table for Ten Hag, with one of those options being to send Mainoo out on loan for the 2023/24 season.

That is a path followed by Alvaro Fernandez, Amad Diallo and Will Fish, who all played 45 minutes against Lyon.

Now, Ten Hag has reportedly come to a decision over Mainoo’s next steps.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Mainoo has been informed by his manager that he will remain a part of the first team squad for the upcoming campaign.

It is claimed that a loan was a possibility for the midfielder, but the decision was taken for the youngster to continue his development at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford both broke into United’s starting XI without a prior loan spell, and Mainoo will hope to follow suit this season.

After the Lyon friendly, he was praised by team-mate Donny van de Beek (quotes via Manchester Evening News): “Kobbie, I’ve trained with him already and I could see his talent from the first day.

“That’s also a positive thing for a club like Manchester United. I think it [promoting youth] is part of the club, just like at Ajax.”

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