Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has challenged Kobbie Mainoo to prove he is worth £200,000-a-week.
19-year-old Mainoo is stuck in a contract dispute with his youth club. Chelsea are prepared to strike if United decide they would rather make money from England's Tyro than meet his demands. The Stockport-born midfielder has become an important player for both club and country, and his current salary of £20,000 per week does not reflect his value.
But United is not prepared to give Mainoo a 1,000 percent pay rise, while he still has more than two years left on his current contract. Manager Amorim has suggested the teenager needs to improve further.
Amorim said: “I think Kobbie Mainoo has improved a lot in the last games. But I think you guys feel like he's the finished product – and he's not. He has so much potential to grow up even further.
“He is really good, but he can be much better. I think he is improving, all players are improving, all players are important to me, regardless of whether they have worked with me in the past.”
United are so concerned about meeting the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ruthlessly cut costs and laid off more than 150 staff. Selling homegrown talents like Mainoo and the out-of-favour Marcus Rashford would give their PSR push a huge boost.
The Red Devils will listen to serious offers for their first team in the January transfer window. Ratcliffe is ready to make radical changes as the team has underperformed so far this season.
Amorim has already been told he will have a limited transfer budget, with sales needed to strengthen resources after the club spent £600 million on players for Erik ten Hag. Stars like Maino, previously considered untouchable, are now available at the right price.
The PSR rules are a concern for United, who have made a pre-tax loss of £312.9 million over the past three seasons. A recent report shows that the club has achieved a net spend greater than any other club in the world, having spent €1.3 billion (£1.08 billion) since 2015.
In December, Ratcliffe told fanzine United We Stand: “Manchester United have become mediocre. They are supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some tough and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the tough decisions, then not much changes.”
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