Midfielders to ease Manchester United’s injury concerns, including James Maddison, Christian Eriksen and former Liverpool man Emre Can
Manchester United are in dire need of midfield reinforcements in January and look set to make at least one addition.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been left with few options following injuries over the Christmas schedule, while others have just not been performing.
Paul Pogba will miss around three to four weeks with a foot injury, which he had surgery on. The France World Cup winner has played just eight times for Man United this season.
Scott McTominay faces an even longer spell on the sidelines with a knee injury suffered on Boxing Day.
“Scott will be out for a few months,” Solskjaer said.
“Scott has been magnificent and we hoped Paul could come back [while Scott was out]. He can’t – he’ll be back within a month or so.
“We look after our players’ health and we won’t take any risk with any players that don’t feel they’re able to play on.”
Fred, Andreas Pereira, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata are likely to be rotated in midfield in their absence, but they didn’t exactly shine against Man City in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
They are far from Solskjaer’s preferred options, so here talkSPORT.com looks at six midfielders United have been linked with who could solve their crisis.
Sean Longstaff
The Red Devils remain interested in Longstaff after they shelved attempts to sign him last summer because of the £50million wanted by Newcastle.
The 22-year-old is seen as an ideal fit in the United midfield in lieu of the absent duo of Pogba and McTominay.
Toon boss Steve Bruce reiterated their stance of being unwilling to let him leave in the January transfer window.
Bruce told the Newcastle Chronicle: “Look I have said it from day one, we can never stop the speculation.
“As far as I am concerned I know Mick Phelan and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer very well and at this moment I don’t know anything about it.
“We don’t want to sell our best young players. That’s certainly the case with Longy. This time last year he was just breaking through and he got in because of injury.
“The kid has done very well and let’s see if we can keep playing.”
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Emre Can
The 25-year-old has fallen out of favour under new Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri, having played just eight times this season.
The former Liverpool man has been heavily linked with a move away from Turin with United and Everton both touted as possible destinations.
Juve have also signed Parma midfielder Dejan Kulusevski, suggesting that Can would be surplus to requirements.
Juventus director Fabio Paratici has ruled out him leaving, though.
He told Sky Sports Italia: “I can exclude Emre Can leaving, as he will certainly remain with us.
“On an international level, he is one of the most wanted players, but I think he can be important for our project.”
If United could sway Paratici and Juventus to part with Can, he could be a valuable asset in their midfield.
Christian Eriksen
The Dane is entering the final six months of his Tottenham contract and has been a long-term target of Man United.
An attacking midfielder, he could provide some much needed creativity and an added goal threat.
Do not count on Spurs and Daniel Levy allowing him to leave in a cut price deal, though, as they are still likely to want a high transfer fee.
However, United could wait it out until the summer and sign him on a free transfer but are likely to face competition from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Ruben Neves
United have reportedly asked about the availability of Neves and his Wolves teammate Raul Jimenez in the January window as they consider an audacious double swoop.
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Neves, 22, has been instrumental in turning Wolves from a Championship club into a top six Premier League contender.
Reports also suggest the midfielder would be more open to a move to Juventus if the opportunity arose.
Either way, the Portuguese would be a fine addition to the Red Devils if they can get their hands on him.
James Maddison
The young Englishman has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League with some dazzling performances in Leicester.
He has shown he can create goals but is also deadly from long range.
Man United are thought to be keen on getting a deal done for the 23-year-old in January and reports suggest the funds are there for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to get his man.
However, Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers will not let him leave this month and even said the club are trying to sort a new contract for him out.
If he does follow former Leicester teammate Harry Maguire to Old Trafford, who signed for £80m in the summer, then it could cost the Manchester club a similar fee.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Danny Murphy believes Maddison is worth more than Jadon Sancho, another Man United target.
Danny Murphy: James Maddison is worth more than Jadon Sancho
Jack Grealish
A player who is constantly linked with a move away from Aston Villa, he has some of the top clubs in the Premier League ready to swoop.
The Villans would be reluctant to sell their most prized asset, especially with a relegation battle ahead for the rest of the season.
Grealish would fit in well at Man United with ability going forward as well as defensively.
But Villa boss Dean Smith was in defiant mood regarding Grealish’s future, saying the 24-year-old is not for sale.
He said: “I’m sure Jack is a big target for many teams and you can see why.
“He’s having his record goalscoring season and is a top player.
“But our owners are very ambitious in establishing us as a top Premier League football club and to do that you have to keep your best players. So we’ll be keeping hold of Jack Grealish.
“People can keep looking but they can’t touch.
“I don’t believe there have been any enquiries and I’m sure if we did they would get a short-shrift reply.
“He’ll still be here at the end of the window without a shadow of a doubt.
“We want to keep our best players and he’s obviously proving he’s one of the best players in the Premier League.”