Man Utd "in talks" to sign a £100m upgrade on Kobbie Mainoo

For much of this week, genuine questions had been raised about Michael Carrick‘s future at Manchester United.

A dismal defeat at the hands of rivals Leeds had put the Red Devils on the back foot. Surely they won’t appoint the former midfielder on a full-time basis?

Well, football changes swiftly, ever so swiftly. United are in the driving seat to secure a Champions League berth again after a 1-0 win over a Chelsea side who are really down in the dumps.

Hired at a similar time, it would appear as though Man United got their appointment spot on. The Blues, however, did not. It certainly seems more likely that Carrick will be in the Premier League next season over Liam Rosenior.

Not only has he got United playing better football but he’s got Kobbie Mainoo to a place where he looks undroppable.

The numbers behind Kobbie Mainoo’s display vs Chelsea

Under Ruben Amorim, Mainoo’s career was only heading in one direction: backwards.

The Englishman has become a key cog in the United wheel during the reign of Erik ten Hag, famously scoring in the FA Cup final. He was even starting games at the last European Championships.

Yet, Amorim, for whatever reason, did not take a liking to him. With the Portuguese at the helm, it was likely the midfielder would be taking his leave from Old Trafford. Simply, that would have been a crime.

Ranked: The best midfielders in the Premier League (2025/26)

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Under Carrick, however, the youngster is swiftly becoming one of their most important players again and he demonstrated precisely that with a classy performance against Chelsea on Saturday.

Speaking after the game, the interim boss stated that it was “the best Kobbie has played since I have been here” and it’s hard to argue against that.

The 21-year-old dazzled in possession, completing 91% of his passes and registering as many as 24 carries. He was a true force from the middle of the park, successfully winning all three of his tackles and making five recoveries.

It begs the question, why on earth did Amorim exclude the Englishman so regularly?

Mainoo’s return to the side and indeed to form has come at a pivotal juncture, particularly with Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte set to depart in the summer.

Man United could sign Kobbie Mainoo upgrade

While United’s young midfielder may well be the future of the team, interestingly enough, the Red Devils could actually sign an upgrade this summer.

That’s according to the latest on the club’s pursuit of Elliot Anderson, provided by Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel.

England's Elliot Anderson during the press conference-1

The transfer reporter revealed: “Manchester City already started talking with the agents of the player, but Manchester United remain in conversations for Elliot Anderson. Manchester United are not giving up.

“They know that Manchester City started their plan to sign the player already a long time ago, but until the deal is done, Man Utd want to be there. Man Utd want to try, and they believe that having the opportunity eventually to offer Champions League football to the player, that could be important in order to try to get closer to Manchester City in this race.

“But what can make the difference is the negotiation with Nottingham Forest, is who’s going to pay what Nottingham Forest want.”

What is that fee? Well, previous reports have suggested it could take as much as £100m to prise the player away from the City Ground. A costly fee yes, but it could well be worth it, particularly when you compare him to Mainoo.

This summer, it’s likely to be a shootout between him and Anderson for a place alongside Declan Rice in the England engine room at the World Cup, but it’s one that the latter is expected to win.

After all, there is a reason that Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel has described the Forest star as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”. Why is that the case? Well, he’s seemingly got it all. This season he’s become a true box-to-box sensation, notably scoring a lovely goal against Manchester City earlier this year.

Yet, it’s his qualities beyond goalscoring that catch the eye so much.

Anderson vs Mainoo: 25/26 Premier League
Stat (per 90 mins)	Anderson	Mainoo
Goals	0.1	0
Shots	0.7	0.4
Assists	0.1	0.2
Chances created	1.6	1.3
Pass accuracy	85%	90%
Forward passes	21.7	12.5
Tackles made	2.9	2.2
Take-ons completed	1.3	0.9
Aerial duels won	1.9	1
Ground duels won	6.2	4.2
Interceptions	1.1	0.8

When you compare both Anderson and Mainoo, it’s a resounding win for the former. While the Forest star has certainly been the most talked about of them this season, it is actually perhaps somewhat surprising to see just how many metrics Mainoo is beaten in.

While his pass accuracy is a touch better, what Anderson does with the ball makes that metric a little pointless.

Indeed, the former Newcastle United man makes more forward passes and completes more take-ons when in possession of the football.

There is not a lot to separate them from an attacking point of view, but when it comes to winning duels and breaking up the play, the £100m United target is streets ahead. He’s a duel-winning monster, someone cut from a similar cloth as the aforementioned Rice.

Arsenal paid West Ham £105m to sign him back in 2023 and we all know how that move panned out. This would be a superb capture if they can get a deal over the line, one straight from the Sir Alex Ferguson playbook of signing one of English football’s most highly rated players.