Manchester United host Liverpool on Sunday afternoon in the next instalment of one of English football’s iconic rivalries.
The Red Devils and Liverpool currently sit third and fourth respectively in the Premier League table and are both therefore on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with the top five set to do so.
Michael Carrick – United’s caretaker head coach – was only appointed until the end of the current campaign, and it remains to be seen whether or not those in charge of the club will opt to appoint the Englishman permanently.
Ahead of the visit of Liverpool, though, it appears that Man United may have been handed a huge boost.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has reached a full agreement on a new contract with the Red Devils.
The England international has re-established himself as a key player for Carrick, having fallen out of favour during Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Old Trafford.
Mainoo is set to sign a new contract with Manchester United (Photo: News Images Ltd/Alamy)
The 21-year-old has only missed one of United’s matches since Carrick took interim charge of January, sitting out United’s loss against Leeds United earlier this month due to a knock.
In total Mainoo has played 98 times for United, as well as being capped 12 times by England at senior international level.
The midfielder’s contract is set to expire at the end of next season, though, and it had been unclear whether or not a new deal would be agreed, particularly after the player himself pushed to leave Old Trafford on loan last summer.
Romano claims, though, that a full agreement is now in place, with the player potentially set to put pen-to-paper on his new terms this week.
Mainoo is set for a pay increase on his new deal, which will run until the summer of 2031 and is set to be announced before the end of the season.