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Fabrizio Romano has said Manchester United’s hierarchy are extremely pleased with the way manager Michael Carrick has transformed midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.

Mainoo had been close to leaving Manchester United in the middle of last season, when Ruben Amorim was in charge of the Red Devils.

Amorim was not keen on Mainoo, who attracted interest from Napoli over a loan move during the January 2026 transfer window.

Manchester United and Amorim then went their separate ways, with Carrick eventually stepping in to lead the first team on an interim basis for the remainder of last season.

Carrick quickly turned Mainoo into an important player in his side, and that has continued now that he has taken over as Manchester United’s permanent manager.

Transfer expert Romano has revealed that Manchester United chiefs are very happy with Carrick because of how he has handled the 21-year-old England international midfielder.

Manchester United delighted with Mainoo’s transformation under Carrick

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Then, talking about Man Utd as we are discussing Man Utd, I wanted to mention how happy is everyone at Man Utd with Kobbie Mainoo.

“It’s about Michael Carrick; it’s about the club.

“In less than one year, in basically eight nine months, everything changed around Kobbie Mainoo.

“Remember that in the January window, before Ruben Amorim got fired by Manchester United, Kobbie Mainoo was almost, almost going on loan to Napoli.

“The deal was really concrete, was very advanced.

“Then Utd changed the manager, Michael Carrick arrives, and Mainoo immediately becomes a crucial part of the project.

“Now with Utd, they are delighted with Kobbie Mainoo.

“He signed a new deal; he’s considered a big part of the present and future project.

“And also, the player is very happy.

“So, life completely changed around Kobbie Mainoo, and at the club, they are convinced that this was really a smart move – one of the crucial things made by Michael Carrick.

“It was about the results; it was about what he did in the six months he spent at Man Utd as a coach, interim coach and then permanent coach, but how he managed Kobbie Mainoo situation was super-appreciated by the club and now even more, as he’s doing very, very well.”