We’re not quite in the 11th hour of the January transfer window, but it’s certainly the 9th or 10th at this point. Only two moves have been made by Manchester United thus far, both departures, and we’ll cover one of them below.
Also, a third exit, Donny van De Beek on loan to Crystal Palace, could be finalizing soon. United have not made a single addition though and deadline day is Monday. So without further ado, let’s do so MUFC transfer talk.
We start with the annoying, tedious saga of Jesse Lingard. We learned a few days ago that his potential loan move to Newcastle United is off, because the Tyneside outfit doesn’t want to meet the financial demands for him that Old Trafford are imposing.
However, now there seems to be chatter circulating that this move isn’t dead after all. So we’ll just have to see, but maybe we should just listen to interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who probably provided the answer.
You maybe saw the video on Twitter, where one United supporter urged the German not to sell the English winger, and he responded:
“He will leave, he will leave in the summer anyway.”
So with that in mind, let’s move on to that one already done deal that we mentioned. Winger Amad Diallo, acquired initially as a fallback option when the club didn’t get Jadon Sancho during the first year, has now gone out on loan to Rangers.
(Anthony Martial to Sevilla, on loan, is the other deal already done)
“I am delighted to join Rangers until the end of the season,” says Amad.
“It is fantastic for me at this stage of my career to have the opportunity to come to such a big club that is challenging on a number of fronts and will give me some excellent opportunities to test myself in many environments.
I look forward to training with my team-mates for the first-time tomorrow and to meeting the fans for the first time at Ross County on Saturday.”
Finally, the latest on the one addition that might get done before the window closes, Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves, a long time United target.
According to the Manchester Evening News, MUFC are still hopeful of getting the deal over the line before Monday.
So watch this space! United are still in good position to make the top four, despite all that’s gone wrong this season. Thus, a great January transfer window might be enough to put the final pieces together, in order to make that happen.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.