Ten Hag moves to accelerate Amrabat transfer after cruel Man Utd injury blow

29 July 2023 , 09:07

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Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo will miss 'the first part of the season' after suffering an ankle injury against Real Madrid.

United are now expected to accelerate their plans to sign Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat. The Morocco international, 26, has entered the final year of his contract and it's believed an offer of around £30million will be enough to sign him.

Mainoo, 18, was pictured on crutches after hobbling out of United's 2-0 defeat to Real in Houston in the early hours of Thursday. The Premier League club have now confirmed the extend of the teenager's injury in a big blow to manager Erik ten Hag.

Despite his age, Mainoo was expected to play a role in United's upcoming campaign, with Ten Hag deciding against sending the youngster out on loan. It's unclear exactly how long he will be out for, but he certainly won't feature in the Premier League for a while.

Mainoo's injury has left United short in midfield, with Fred in talks over a move to Turkish side Galatasaray. Fulham are also interested in the Brazilian, 30, who is valued at around £20m by the Red Devils. Amrabat would be a replacement for Fred and Mainoo.

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Ten Hag has already spent £107m to sign Mason Mount and Andre Onana this summer and is working to a strict budget of £120m. That means he will probably need to sell a few players if he wants to sign Amrabat and a new striker.

"Manchester United can confirm that Kobbie Mainoo suffered an ankle injury during the match against Real Madrid on Tour 2023," read a statement from the club. "The midfielder is expected to be ruled out for the first part of the 2023/24 season."

Mainoo has already flown home from United's tour of the United States to allow the medical staff at Old Trafford to decide the next course of action. The statement added: "Everyone at the club wishes Kobbie a speedy recovery."

United fans expected bad news when Mainoo posted on Instagram on Friday. He wrote: "I’ll be back stronger and in no time. Thanks for your messages of support."

Kobbie Mainoo hobbled out of United's pre-season friendly against Real Madrid (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

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The likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Fred, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Antony and new United skipper Bruno Fernandes have offered their support to Manioo. "I'm waiting [for] you on the pitch soon," Fernandes replied to his Instagram post.

Mainoo has played a big role in United's pre-season campaign, making four starts. He was unfortunate to pick up his injury because it was a result of a challenge from Casemiro on Rodrygo, which caused Real's Brazilian forward to land on Manioo's leg.

Ten Hag was asked about Manioo's injury after the game. He said: "I understand the question, but you can never tell straight after a game. We have to wait for what it is. So, hopefully, it's not too bad and then chances will come.

"I wanted to see what levels he could play. Against Arsenal, we were pleased with his performance. I wanted to see if he could repeat that... then, we would have conclusions. First, we have to wait for the diagnosis and, from there on, we will set conclusions."

Andy Cole is a big admirer of Mainoo. Speaking to MUTV, the United legend said: "I'm devastated for him. You know why I'm devastated? It was an opportunity for a young man to show his skills against someone like Luka Modric and, when he came off, you could see how bitterly disappointed he was because how many opportunities do you get to play against someone like Modric in midfield?