JAKARTA - Kobbie Mainoo's brother was seen wearing a shirt that read "Free Kobbie Mainoo" as Manchester United drew 4-4 with Bournemouth in a chaotic game at Old Trafford on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, early morning WIB.
Mainoo has struggled to get game time under manager Ruben Amorim this season and has been linked with a move away from the club in January 2026.
The England midfielder came off the bench to a rapturous reception from the home fans in the second half against Bournemouth.
Amorim watched his team go three times ahead before finally having to settle for one point. Only two brilliant saves from Senne Lammens in the final minutes prevented Bournemouth from scoring the winning goal.
"It was a fun game for everyone at home. It was a fun game to watch, of course there was a feeling of scoring four goals and not winning the game."
"We were lacking quality in defending our goal. Of course, this is something we need to deal with," Amorim said after the match.
Mainoo has not started a Premier League game this season, but came on to replace Casemiro in the 61st minute against Bournemouth.
During the match, his brother, former Love Island contestant Jordan Mainoo-Hames, was seen wearing a shirt that read "Free Kobbie Mainoo."
The 20-year-old, who wants to earn more regular playing opportunities to try to break into England's 2026 World Cup squad, has been linked with a move to Napoli.
According to ESPN, Manchester United are reluctant to agree to a permanent transfer, but may consider a loan offer in January 2026.
It is likely they will only consider letting him go at the end of the winter transfer window after players Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo return from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Amorim was not asked about the incident after the match. However, the Portuguese coach will have the opportunity to discuss it at the weekly press conference on Friday, December 19, 2025, local time.
"First of all, I say the same thing, the team is the main thing. If Kobbie comes to me and speaks to me, I will speak to him."
"I'm not going to say what I'm going to say to Kobbie, but I would be very happy if Kobbie came to speak to me about it."
"I just want my players to be happy. I understand that each individual has their own goals. Frustration doesn't help anyone, but once again, the focus is on this match and we'll see if that happens," said Amorim.
Meanwhile, Teamtalk reported that Kobbie Mainoo was also interested in the giants of LaLiga, Real Madrid and Barcelona. The media released several reports in Spain asking the midfielder to choose which LaLiga giant he would choose if Los Blancos and Blaugrana were interested.
Mainoo's future could also be closely linked to the other business Manchester United are undertaking in January 2026. The interest in question is another sale which will likely be bad news for the 20-year-old's chances of leaving.
Manchester United are reportedly set a price for the sale of Bruno Fernandes in January 2026. The club are actively looking to offload their captain. That big transfer fee would obviously make Mainoo reluctant to leave.
Real Madrid are also reportedly considering signing the Manchester United star, who has long been linked with the club, in January 2025.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
