Manchester United fans are currently digesting reports that nobody wants to read or believe could be true, that two of the club’s academy jewels could be up for sale.
May 2024 saw a glorious moment in recent Manchester United history, a magical FA Cup Final victory over rivals City, one of the best days over the past decade.
The win was inspired by two goals from two teenagers, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, who seemed set to lead United for the next generation, stepping up from being FA Youth Cup winners to FA Cup winners.
Nothing can be assured any more. Ineos have learned the hard way already that sentiment related to the cup final alone gets you nowhere. They stuck with Erik ten Hag, and the 2024/25 season has turned out to be a disaster, with the Dutchman fired, and weeks and months wasted.
And perhaps the result of that ill-executed managerial decision is United rank 13th in the Premier League, very unlikely as it stands to be playing European football next season, and this may be having a devastating financial impact.
Manchester United cannot rule out Mainoo or Garnacho sale
A worrying report via The Athletic reports Manchester United cannot rule out selling either Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho.
United do not want to sell either player, but financially, the club are duty bound to listen to offers and consider them on their merit.
Our task is not to overreact to this and act like the sky is falling, or act like Ineos are the bad guys as they look to untangle two decades of Glazer ownership and bad decisions.
They won’t get everything right, and the sale of Kobbie Mainoo in-particular would go down as a deeply unpopular decision.
Chelsea are alleged to have interest in Mainoo – but we aren’t really taking this seriously, it comes amid protracted contract negotiations and we expect the young midfielder to sign a new deal.
Until he does put pen to paper on a new contract, United have to be open to offers if a huge bid were to come in.
Alejandro Garnacho’s situation is more complex. He has struggled to fit into Ruben Amorim’s system, having not started a game since early December.
If his situation does not pick up between now and the end of the season, it might even be the prudent move to cash in on the Argentine, and spend it on a hand-picked player for Ruben Amorim who is ready-made for his system.
At the same time, Amorim must demonstrate between now and then that he is the man Ineos were right to go all-in on, and that United aren’t just going to rip his plans up if he has another wobble and appoint a new manager, who might have a totally new system, and want to play Garnacho.
- READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date
Manchester United situation shows financial worries
Years ago in the Sir Alex Ferguson era, the club had a simple approach to the Class of ’92 talent, they were not for sale, until the manager said so.
Eventually this happened with David Beckham in 2003 and Nicky Butt in 2004, after Ferguson had enjoyed the fruits of their best years.
Mainoo and Garnacho are only just getting started – but United are in a different position sportingly and financially to the late 90s.
Nowadays United cannot simply afford to say ‘no’, no matter what. With staggering amounts of debt leveraged against the club, and in unpaid transfer fees, and an ongoing battle to comply with PSR restrictions, every decision has to be considered and rationalised.
United may have been hoping a Marcus Rashford sale might alleviate financial concern. Yet there do not appear to be any offers for a permanent exit forthcoming, this transfer window at least.
And the problem is that United cannot sell the player they might want to – and might have to sell one of the players they want to keep. Nobody wants a devalued costly asset, which is what Rashford represents on his wages, while Mainoo and Garnacho are on cheap deals, making clubs more willing to countenance big transfer offers.
We expect Mainoo to stay, and Garnacho to stay until summer, dependent on how his second half of the season fares under Amorim.
For this even to be a discussion, however, is disappointing, and the result of how badly United have been run.
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