Bruno Fernandes is delighted Manchester United have tied Kobbie Mainoo down to a long-term contract, saying the club could not afford to lose a player like the England international.
Mainoo only turned 21 last month but has already had a rollercoaster career at Manchester United under three managers.
Erik ten Hag thrust a teenage Mainoo into the first team, where he shone brightly enough to earn an England call-up very early in his senior career.
Ruben Amorim took charge of the Red Devils after Ten Hag’s dismissal and Mainoo fell down the pecking order, so out of favour that an exit looked likely.
The midfielder was linked with a loan move to Napoli and he may well have departed if Amorim had not been dismissed in January.
Interim manager Michael Carrick has restored faith in Mainoo, with the academy product a regular in the starting XI again and back in the Three Lions squad ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
Mainoo has now signed a new contract with the club, extending his stay at Old Trafford until 2031 and Fernandes is very pleased things have turned round for him.
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The Red Devils captain feels it would have been a huge mistake for the club to lose a player of his quality.
‘When he came to the first team he had to play straight away and not everyone was expecting that,’ Fernandes told Sky Sports. ‘Then he had a period when he was playing a little bit left and he was a little bit in the shadow and everyone forgot a little bit about him.
‘But not us. We knew what we had in the house. We knew that Kobbie had things to improve and could be better. He was good in the time he was not playing to try to become better, try to improve.
‘He was always very professional during the period when he was not playing. We have nothing to say about that.
‘Now because he was doing the right things when he was not playing he is getting his credit and he is getting his flowers again.
‘He well deserves his new contract. The club couldn’t afford to lose a player like him.’
On the announcement that he had signed his new contract with his boyhood club, Mainoo said: ‘Manchester United has always been my home; this special club means everything to my family.
‘I have grown up seeing the impact that our club has on our city, and I relish the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt.
‘From The Cliff, to Littleton Road, to Carrington and ultimately Old Trafford, the journey so far has been incredible. I have the privilege of living my dream every single day, with the same relentless desire to succeed here as when I joined my first training session at the age of six.
‘We can all feel the momentum building inside the club. I am determined to step up and play my role in helping Manchester United to regularly fight for major trophies in the years ahead.’