Manchester United remain without a permanent manager, but the season could still be busy at Old Trafford in January. Manager Michael Carrick will remain in charge until the end of the season, at which point a long-term replacement will be sought. Until then, the former United midfielder will be tasked with qualifying for Europe at the end of the season.
Carrick may look to strengthen his squad this month to give the Red Devils the best chance of achieving that goal. A new midfielder is thought to be at the top of United’s priority list, with several players already in the pipeline. On the other hand, some withdrawals are possible towards the second half of January.
Express Sport takes a look at United’s current state of play.
£30m transfer approved
Carrick are reportedly looking to raid his former club Middlesbrough in a bid to sign Hayden Hackie, one of the Championship’s best midfielders in recent years.
During the summer he came close to joining Ipswich Town, but decided to remain at Riverside after traveling to Suffolk for negotiations with the Tractor Boys.
Carrick is currently being linked with a move to Old Trafford, with TEAMtalk reporting that Carrick has approved United’s move for the midfield general.
Middlesbrough accepted a £20m offer from Ipswich in the summer, but are now thought to be demanding closer to £30m for Hackney’s signature.
It is known that United are looking to add to their midfield, but it remains to be seen whether they can force a deal over the line.
Flop “always quits”
Manuel Ugarte could leave United this month to make a new start elsewhere, with a move to Galatasaray already being linked.
The midfielder hasn’t featured much since joining the Red Devils two years ago and was little more than a back-up option under manager Ruben Amorim.
It has been reported that Ugarte could move to Turkey before the end of his contract, with Jakub Sinar claiming he will “definitely leave” Old Trafford in the coming weeks.
“Galatasaray are continuously working towards the signing of Manuel Ugarte,” Sinar said. “Players like (Fernando) Muslera and (Lucas) Torreira are also in talks to join Galatasaray.”
“Galatasaray would like to sign him (Ugarte) on loan with an option to buy. The player will definitely leave Manchester United.”
