Man Utd make the RIGHT choice as Mainoo replacement found

Robin Bairner

• 13 Nov 2025 07:31 GMT
• 4 min read

Analysis

Manchester United’s midfield is set to be all change in January, with Kobbie Mainoo departing and Atletico Madrid ace Conor Gallager now expected to replace him.

Ruben Amorim’s side have put together an extensive shortlist of midfield options to reinforce this area of the squad. Mainoo may be an England international, but his face clearly does not fit his manager’s plans in the immediate future. A January loan move appears likely if Man Utd can find an alternative.

The latest team linked with the 20-year-old is Leeds United, although Napoli have often been cited as front-runners in the race to snap up the Carrington product.

Compared

Kobbie Mainoo

M, DM (C)

Man Utd

Kobbie Mainoo

M, DM (C)

Man Utd

VS

Conor Gallagher

M (CL), DM (C)

Atlético Madrid

Conor Gallagher

M (CL), DM (C)

Atlético Madrid

€62.7M	ETV	€40.5M
€56.4M - €69M	ETV Range	€36.5M - €44.6M
20 years old (19 Apr, 2005)	Age	25 years old (06 Feb, 2000)
England	Nationality	England

United, meanwhile, have identified former Chelsea star Gallagher as a potential January arrival, with the Daily Express indicating that the 25-year-old could arrive as Mainoo’s replacement.

FootballTransfers exclusively reported immediately after the summer transfer window shut that Amorim was left furious that a deal failed that would have effectively seen Gallagher take Mainoo’s place in the Red Devils’ squad.

It now appears that United will get a second shot in January.

Five reasons why Conor Gallagher to Man Utd makes sense

Gallagher wants a move in order to push for a place in the England squad at the 2026 World Cup. He has only started four matches across all competitions this season and feels that he will get these opportunities at Old Trafford. He would arrive hungry to make a positive impression.

There is also the question of his profile. After seeing the success of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in contrast to the struggles of Benjamin Sesko, United appear convinced that buying players with Premier League experience is a formula for quicker success. Gallagher, of course, checks this box having played nearly 100 matches with Chelsea.

Analytics backs up the feeling that he would be a smart addition. SciSports’ analysis gives him a SciSkill of 107.4. This is generated by hundreds of in-game data points. Gallagher scores better than any other player on Man Utd’s shortlist in this regard.

The firm’s Career Analysis tool gives the Red Devils a Club Fit mark of 73. Based on numerous factors ranging from potential development and playing time to formation and style, this is a score that suggests he would fit in nicely to Amorim’s plans.

And finally, there’s the price point. Gallagher has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €40.5m. While no fee with Atletico Madrid has been confirmed, after he was signed in a €42m deal with Chelsea in 2024, they would likely be happy with this type of value for a figure who is on the fringes of Diego Simeone’s plans. Even if Man Utd went as high as €50m, this would still seem like strong value for a player who has so much more to give.

Amorim might have been angry that United missed out on Gallagher first time around, but if this deal can be done in January, it has all the hallmarks of a move that can elevate his side even further.