Manchester United's recent resurgence under interim head coach Michael Carrick has brought Kobbie Mainoo back into the starting lineup, but former striker Louis Saha has urged the club to put contract negotiations with the 20-year-old on hold. Mainoo, whose current deal runs until 2027, has started both of Carrick's matches in charge following a period out of favour under Ruben Amorim.
Saha believes the focus should be on Mainoo's development rather than extension talks. "People talk about contracts and stuff like this, you know, it's not good for him," Saha told gambling.com. "What he has to do is score more goals, assist more, play well and progress. That's it." The former United striker added that Mainoo needs to play consistently and improve, suggesting that a run of 15 games would be more valuable than discussing a new deal.
Meanwhile, Carrick has refused to rule out late activity in the transfer window, which closes in the coming days. "I think we are just working through it, never say never," he said ahead of United's clash with Fulham. "A lot can happen and situations can be thrown up." United spent over £200 million in the summer and are not expected to splurge, but Carrick remains open to opportunities.
Patrick Dorgu's recent hamstring injury has left United short on the left flank, though Carrick insists the squad has cover. "It is not ideal, of course it is not, we don't want to lose good players from the group," he said. "That is part of having a squad and assembling a squad to be able to cover certain things." United will look to maintain their winning momentum as the transfer window draws to a close.
