Manchester United will listen to offers for four players to potentially depart from Old Trafford in January with recruitment in mind for the club.
Manchester United have been screaming out for elite midfield recruitment as Ruben Amorim looks to secure a Champions League finish for the first time since 2022/23.
The Portuguese manager has found a run of good form recently stretching to seven Premier League matches with only one loss. The most recent fixture coming away from home in a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace thanks to a second half comeback with goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount.
United currently sit on 21 points, with definite room for improvement, specifically in the core of the team with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes being the cemented midfield partnership throughout the season.
If United are to invest during the January transfer window, they would need to see some outgoings from the squad. Four first team players are set to be available for offers.
United will listen to offers for Mainoo, Zirkzee, Ugarte, and Malacia
United spent heavily in the summer on attacking reinforcements, bringing in top talents Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, who have all had major roles in Amorim’s side this season. However, some squad members have not excelled this season.
According to ESPN, United will listen to offers for Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte and Tyrell Malacia, who have all had underwhelming seasons so far.
The most controversial of the potential exits, Mainoo, comes due to a lack of game time for the 20-year-old, who featured heavily under the previous manager, Erik ten Hag.
Mainoo has been held out of the squad by Casemiro and Fernandes, who seem to be more suited profiles to Amorim’s persistent 3-4-2-1 system.
Despite scoring his first United goal since April, Zirkzee is still up for an exit, as the big Dutchman has struggled to replicate the form he found in Serie A with Bologna.
Uruguayan midfielder Ugarte has underperformed in his United career, despite high expectations for him as an aggressive ball-winner. But fans have grown tired of Ugarte’s rashness, which has often left gaps for the opposition to exploit.
Finally, Dutch left-back Malacia has had a tough time at United. Initially arriving with optimistic expectations in 2022, Malacia has suffered a major injury, playing in just 20 senior matches since the start of the 2023/24 season, including 12 games on loan at PSV Eindhoven.
AFCON could put transfers on hold
United are expected to lose Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui throughout the African Cup of Nations as they will all be representing their nations until midway through the January transfer window at the latest.
Therefore, the second half could be when United are expected to make moves in the market as they eye up midfield options.
Names on United’s shortlist include,Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Angelo Stiller who are all highly rated by the club.
Allowing players to leave before the end of AFCON on January 18th remains unlikely as it would leave United short of depth and potentially resort on the academy to fill out the squad as an alternative
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