Manchester United are about to receive a huge double boost

Man United are set to tie Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire down to new contracts at Old Trafford

On the day that Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo were recalled to the England squad, Manchester United sources confirmed both players are close to signing new deals with the club.

United expect an agreement with both players to be completed in the coming weeks, which is great news for Michael Carrick, provided he gets the job on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

Maguire and Mainoo have been key for Carrick, starting every game in the Premier League since his appointment. Both players thoroughly deserved to be recalled to the England squad. And it was a no-brainer for United to tie both of them down to new contracts.

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Maguire is expected to sign a one-year deal with the option of another 12 months, which is fair for both parties. Maguire is in the autumn of his career, but he provides huge value in the dressing room.

"Harry's an impressive character. He's had a great career so far," said Carrick last month. "Hopefully there's a lot more to come. He has been here in the journey and the experiences that he's had, certainly since he's been here and with England as well. I think it shows exactly what he is.

"I think we all know the player that he is and what he's capable of doing. Again, the other night there, I thought he was fantastic. Experience helps, and his attributes help with that, and his character, his willingness to put himself out there, and he is really impressive, and he has been really important for us."

The importance of set-pieces has increased in the Premier League, and Maguire is the best in the squad at dealing with aerial balls. He provides leadership and experience at the back.

United needed to tie Maguire down for next season, but agreeing a new deal with Mainoo was crucial for the future. Since Mainoo's outstanding breakout campaign, the feeling within United has been that he is a talent who could be at the heart of the team for the next decade.

The Stockport-born ace's contract situation has rumbled on for a while, but a breakthrough is now finally close, with Mainoo set to sign a five-year contract to run until the summer of 2031.

Mainoo will receive a significant pay rise in his new contract. His current deal was signed in 2023 when he was 17. It's understood that the performance-related bonuses have all been triggered, however, he was still among the lowest paid at the club, which was the friction point for his representatives.

Last year, there was a genuine chance that Mainoo would leave his boyhood club due to Ruben Amorim's handling and stalled talks over a new deal. Thankfully, Mainoo outlasted Amorim in Manchester.

Earlier this week, Carrick said of Mainoo: "You can always improve on a lot of things, just the age he’s at, there is so much more to come and develop, that’s the stage he’s at in his career.

"He’s got a lot of areas to improve. He’s doing really well, not having a lot of football to come in and play a run of games. He found his rhythm quickly and his natural flow. He was really good again at the weekend, putting in a performance where he did a little bit of everything. Really impressive."

Mainoo will benefit from the negative experience he had with Amorim, who could not find a way to fit him into his system. It was a challenging period for Mainoo, but he should be better for it.

Although it was criminal for Amorim to continue to overlook Mainoo, the spell out of the team appears to have sharpened his mind and helped him to improve his out-of-possession work.

Carrick has known Mainoo since he was a boy and Travis Binnion's presence as part of the backroom staff is a positive for the midfielder. Binnion has coached Mainoo across the academy's age groups and probably knows him better than any other coach.

When Mainoo conducted his first interview with external media in 2024, the press officer smiled as they said he would be a United mixed zone representative every four weeks for the next ten years.

That prediction was in serious doubt under Amorin's leadership.

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