Simon Jordan bewildered following Man United midfielder's 'ridiculous' demand
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Credit: Imago/talkSPORT
Jack Heath
Wed 27 August 2025 16:28, UK
Simon Jordan is baffled by one Man United player after he made an absurd demand to stay longer at the club.
After Man United signed Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford and Matheus Cunha from Wolves, renewed hope had been felt at Old Trafford ahead of the 2025-26 season.
However, Ruben Amorim remains winless in the first two matches, despite the fact all three promoted side have all managed wins before the Red Devils.
Man United are also in a tricky position as they try to offload some of their unwanted stars to raise more funds to reinvest back into the squad.
One of the names on the chopping block is Kobbie Mainoo who’s been previously linked to Tottenham earlier in the window as he looks to find more regular minutes ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Credit: Imago
Speaking on talkSPORT (27 August), the former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan was on the panel discussing the future for Mainoo after seemingly being dropped by Amorim.
The 20-year-old has been rumoured to want a move away with doubts over his athleticism to operate in the Portuguese’s system.
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Whilst co-presenter and former Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy sympathised with the young Englishman’s lack of minutes, Jordan was quick to highlight the number 37 wanting a new contract last season.
The contract demand, reported to worth an increase from around £20,000-per-week to £180,000-per-week (Daily Mail), pushing the ex-Palace chairman to raise his name in conversation once again.
He said: “It’s interesting about Kobbie Mainoo because weren’t we talking about this player about a year ago demanding all kinds of [a] huge financial contract?
“Wasn’t that the case when I think he was asking for a ridiculous new contract?”
Host Jim White then chimed in saying: “I think his representatives were saying ‘that’s what we think our client should earn’.”
To which Jordan snapped back: “That’s him then”, referring to the 20-year-old being the one to ask for a whopping new deal.
Football Insider verdict
Given that the Englishman is clearly thought of to be second best by Amorim, who favours Bruno Fernandes alongside Casemiro, Mainoo is in a particularly tricky position regarding his United future.
The number 37 has two years left on his contract so he could simply run down his contract in order to hope to find himself a new club as a free agent in the summer of 2027.
Alternatively, the midfielder could pray for his manager’s demise to open a new opportunity to play under a different manager at some point before his current deal runs out.
Kobbie Mainoo 2024-25 all competitionsAppearances25Minutes played2,086Goals2Assists1(Source: Sofascore)
However, with the World Cup looming at the end of the season, Mainoo needs to find a way into the starting XI to get on the plane to North America.
Thomas Tuchel is ruthless in his squad selections and will almost certainly not consider any players who are not performing at a decent level with consistent minutes.
As of now, the 20-year-old looks unlikely to break into the Red Devils first team and will have to manoeuvre a move for himself before the window closes.