'I worked with Sir Alex Ferguson at Man Utd – there's one player they must now build around'

Rene Meulensteen has encouraged to build their team around amid continued speculation surrounding his long-term future at Old Trafford. The 61-year-old, who formerly served as right-hand man, previously worked as a coach in United's youth system and has a keen eye for emerging talent.

He played a role in nurturing players like , , and Jesse Lingard. In an interview with Discasino, he described Mainoo as "brilliant" and noted it would be "very sad" if the club allowed such a gifted academy product to depart.

"Kobbie Mainoo looked brilliant when he stepped into the senior Manchester United team from the youth setup," said to Discasino. "He has his entire career ahead of him and the team should do what they can to keep him; I'd be very sad if they decided to sell him.

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"At the end of the day, they don't have another young and energetic midfielder like him. He has proven that he can play at that level."

Mainoo, 19, has been a rare positive for the Red Devils during a difficult period. Bursting onto the scene in 2023 as one of the most promising midfielders in the country, he concluded his first full senior season with an victory and a spot in England's starting XI at Euro 2024.

His contract runs until 2027 with an optional extra year, and efforts to secure a long-term deal have hit a standstill. As the club faces increasing financial pressure and seeks to stay within PSR guidelines, it's believed they may consider cashing in on Mainoo if negotiations fail to move forward.

But Meulensteen thinks parting ways would be a serious misstep and has called on United to prioritise resolving the situation. "I wouldn't be hasty to let him go, but it's clear that he has fallen to the wayside - the situation needs rectifying," the Dutchman stressed.

"It may be as a result of financial regulations that they are looking to explore a deal with clubs for him. But to me, he looks like the kind of player that you would build that side around for years to come."

Mainoo carried his impressive momentum into the early stages of the 2024/25 season, picking up where he left off. Unfortunately, his progress was halted by injury. He missed the final weeks of tenure at United due to a muscle issue and has not featured since early February.

expressed interest in signing the youngster during the January window, though they never tabled an official bid. Meanwhile, are reportedly monitoring the situation closely.

The side is thought to be interested in bringing Mainoo into their growing English contingent, which already includes and could soon feature .

United, for now, are still planning with Mainoo in their future plans, and there's hope that a fresh deal will be signed in the coming months. Still, the club's fragile financial position may complicate matters.

As he's an academy graduate, any potential sale of Mainoo would be recorded as 'pure profit' on the books - making a large offer difficult to dismiss, particularly as the club tries to stay compliant with spending rules.

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