Expect Manchester United to move for a new striker before the end of the transfer window if Alejandro Garnacho, Marcus Rashford or Kobbie Mainoo leave Old Trafford by deadline day.
United have drawn up a list of striker targets after lining up a move for Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu in the hope of filling their two priority positions in this window.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha of Wolves, Ipswich centre-forward Liam Delap and Jonathan David, the Lille striker who has been on United’s radar for some time, are all being tracked by club scouts.
But United need to be sure of moving players out before they can bring any in, and homegrown stars Garnacho and Mainoo would generate by far the most profit under FFP rules, as previously revealed by Confidential.
Shifting Rashford’s £315,000-a-week salary off the wage bill would also give United extra room for manoeuvre, although sources say there is no guarantee of any new signings.
Garnacho appears the most likely to go as Chelsea and Napoli lead the chase for the young Argentina winger. Garnacho’s representatives were at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, and Napoli are expected to hold further talks with United on Tuesday after coach Antonio Conte spoke to the player personally.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is among the strikers being tracked by United’s network of scouts
Alejandro Garnacho appears the most likely star to leave Manchester United this window
Homegrown stars Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford would generate the most profit for reinvesting in a striker
However, United are understood to be demanding £75million for Garnacho, and even more for Mainoo who is also a target for Chelsea. Sources there have confirmed interest in both players but warned a deal may be difficult in this window.
Meanwhile, Rashford’s future is up in the air as talks continue over a move to Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund. It could depend on how much United are prepared to contribute to Rashford’s wages while out on loan for the rest of the season, and there remains a distinct possibility that the 27-year-old will stay at Old Trafford until the summer.
Wilcox faces fan fury
There was some booing for Manchester United’s players and boss Ruben Amorim after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton, and technical director Jason Wilcox was another who couldn’t avoid the fans’ discontent as he headed home from Old Trafford afterwards.
United’s technical director was seen by Confidential leaving the director’s entrance where a gaggle of supporters were waiting in the hope of seeing legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
As Wilcox appeared, he was angrily confronted by one fan who criticised the players for not stopping to give autographs to fans before or after matches.
‘They’ve all got their heads down, it’s disgusting, Jason,’ the fan told Wilcox who stopped to hear the fan out before heading off down the Munich Tunnel.
Wilcox will be under more scrutiny now he has assumed many of Dan Ashworth’s responsibilities after United’s sporting director was ruthlessly fired earlier this season.
Wilcox, along with CEO Omar Berrada, was central to the hire of Ruben Amorim and amid their worst start at home to a season in 131 years, those in the directors’ box are as uncomfortable as the players and coaching staff right now.
Technical director Jason Wilcox was harangued by fans as he left Old Trafford on Sunday
One fan lashed out about players not stopping to give autographs – though the rise in autograph harvesting has been difficult to manage
Standing threat to Old Trafford capacity
United are coming under increasing pressure from a government body to clamp down on ‘persistent standing’ inside Old Trafford – and risk having the capacity reduced if they fail to do so.
Footage emerged on social media after the Brighton game of stewards armed with cameras taking pictures of supporters who were standing up and telling them to take their seats.
Fans have criticised the club for what has been viewed as a drastic measure, but Confidential understands United have effectively been forced to take stronger action by the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the Government’s advisor on sports stadia in the UK.
The SGSA has the power to close parts of Old Trafford, and while there is no suggestion that tipping point has been reached, sources say United’s hands are tied and have been left with no choice but to be more proactive.
The group has outlined its concerns with the number of fans standing in certain parts of the ground, including the Stretford End. But United have never had any incidences recorded of injury resulting from persistent standing, and it is understood they have been left surprised by the mid-season pressure from the SGSA as they have always worked hard to comply with the authority’s requirements.
The club have also successfully rolled out safe-standing in several sections of Old Trafford, and rail seating now accounts for more than 10 per cent of the stadium.
United have been told to take stronger action against fans standing up persistently in seated areas of Old Trafford
Leicester plan Old Trafford boycott
Leicester City fans are considering a boycott of the FA Cup fourth-round clash against United at Old Trafford in protest at the club’s ‘unacceptable’ pricing.
United, who lobbied Arsenal for cheaper tickets for the third-round win at the Emirates, are charging visiting Leicester supporters up to £61 for the match on Friday, February 7. The cheapest adult ticket costs £51.
The Foxes have taken up around a third of their entitled allocation with Amy Ginnetta, a member of the Leicester City Supporters’ Club, admitting the price has put fans off travelling to the game.
‘The high ticket prices have led some fans to consider a boycott and many have already decided not to make the trip,’ she said. ‘It’s disappointing because football should be accessible to everyone, yet many fans are being priced out.
‘Charging over £50 for a fourth round FA Cup game on a Friday night, especially one that’s televised, is simply unacceptable.’
The Football Supporters’ Association said: ‘This isn’t a Premier League game but we don’t see why the FA Cup should be used as an excuse to bump up costs and rip off match-going fans. Keep the FA Cup affordable.’
Leicester City fans are considering boycotting their fourth-round FA Cup tie at Old Trafford
Erik’s Rashford reunion?
Things are getting interesting over at Borussia Dortmund as the Bundesliga giants continue to try and work out a way to make the numbers work for Marcus Rashford this month.
Confidential has learned that crunch talks are also set to be held following Dortmund’s Champions League game against Bologna this week as to whether Erik ten Hag should replace Nuri Sahin as manager.
Sources in Germany feel the situation is becoming a ‘when not if’ position around a move for Ten Hag, and the appointment of the Dutchman is expected to put further emphasis on a move for Rashford.
Dortmund are looking for a typical left-sided wide player to replace Donyell Malan, who has joined Aston Villa, and it has been suggested to this column that Ten Hag is keen to work with Rashford again, this time in Germany.
Rashford produced the best season of his career in Ten Hag’s first season at Old Trafford, scoring 30 goals and adding nine assists. The 27-year-old has still not given up hope of playing for United again and is putting in extra training to catch Ruben Amorim’s eye.
This feels a particularly key week for Dortmund in the dugout as well as on the pitch, so keep an eye on events at the Westfalenstadion.
If Marcus Rashford goes to Borussia Dortmund, he could be reunited with Erik ten Hag
Ten Hag is being considered as a replacement for beleagured Dortmund boss Nuri Sahin
Ole back at the wheel
It’s only a couple of weeks since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stood outside Manchester Cathedral while his former United teammate Michael Carrick was being interviewed by a local TV station and joked that no-one was interested in him anymore.
But Solskjaer was firmly back in the spotlight this week when he was unveiled as the new coach of Besiktas, taking his first managerial job since leaving Old Trafford in November 2021. For the record, United were seventh at the time.
Facing the Turkish media, Solskjaer drew some comparisons with his old club. ‘This project seems a little bit like Man United for me,’ said the Norwegian. ‘We were sixth, then third and second. Step by step. I’ve been following United and it’s difficult when it goes down.
‘I had many offers but it had to be the right offer worth me moving away from my perfect life. You need to feel the heartbeat racing again. Do you have the energy? The project feels so right for me.
‘Besiktas is not just a football club, it’s a sports club. One thing: my daughter was born on March 3, 2003. If we go back in history, March 3, 1903 was the foundation of Besiktas, so I think this is a sign as well. She sent me a message and this is the right one.’
Good luck Ole, or bol şans as they say in Istanbul.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Besiktas felt like the ‘right project’ as he takes up his first job since leaving Manchester United
Utd stars get a warrior welcome
Fresh from a beating at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion, three United stars ran straight into Wigan Warriors following a recovery session at Carrington on Monday.
Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Andre Onana were invited to the rugby league club’s Robin Park training complex to see Wigan train ahead of the new Super League season kicking off next month.
The United trio are said to have stayed longer than expected, with Onana in particular deep in conversation with Junior Nsemba and Sam Eseh over their links to Cameroon.
However, Mount stopped short of putting his injured hamstring at risk by getting on the wrestling mat with Patrick Mago, Wigan’s 18-stone prop forward.
United’s links with Wigan go back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s friendship with former Warriors and Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan. Ferguson opened the DW Stadium in 1999 and was also invited to speak to the Warriors squad by coach Matt Peet before the won the Grand Final at Old Trafford in October, completing the Quadruple with victory over Hull KR.
Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Andre Onana watched Wigan Warriors train ahead of the new season
Chido Obi catches the eye
Confidential was in position at Leigh Sports Village on Friday night to see one of Chido Obi’s best all-around performances.
With Gabriele Biancheri sidelined for a month with a broken hand, Obi led the line for Adam Lawrence’s Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup and dominated from start to finish.
It was Obi’s pinpoint throughball to James Scanlon seven minutes in that led to the opener, with Scanlon cutting it back for Jack Fletcher to knock in.
Obi then bagged a first-half brace, his second a brilliant curling effort, before he unleashed Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘siuuu’ celebration on a night where he shone as the best player on the pitch.
Confidential understands that the 17-year-old has recently had some experience in first-team training sessions, typically the day after matches where numbers in Ruben Amorim’s sessions are slightly depleted.
While there are no immediate plans to accelerate the Dane up the age groups as they carefully manage his development, his game is becoming increasingly familiar to Amorim and his staff as they get a closer look at him in recent training sessions.
Chido Obi shone with a brace for Man United’s under-18s in the FA Youth Cup last Friday
Ruben Amorim has had Obi take part in some senior training sessions when numbers are down
MUST force bus U-turn
Credit to the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust for their work in helping to bring back a post-match bus service towards Piccadilly Gardens.
The service, which proves invaluable to supporters trying to return from Old Trafford to the city centre, has been reinstated with immediate effect after months of campaigning to Transport for Greater Manchester by MUST.
A bottleneck can occur after matches at both the Old Trafford and Trafford Bar Metrolink tram stops, and the plan now is for 15 buses to operate on a ‘load and go’ basis, with stops at Deansgate Castlefield, Portland Street and Piccadilly Gardens.
A further win for fans is that fares will be lower than they were previously, with an adult single at £2, £1 for Under-16 and free for concessionary pass holders.
Ex-Utd exec wants Liverpool job
Andy O’Boyle, United’s former deputy football director, has applied for the job of loans manager at Liverpool.
The Northern Irishman previously worked as first-team fitness coach at Liverpool and head of elite performance for the Premier League before joining United in May 2022 to support football director John Murtough and bring United’s data analytics up to standard.
O’Boyle also helped Ineos through a transition period following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion investment, particularly after Murtough departed in April last year. But his role was no longer required after the new leadership team was set up, and O’Boyle left in September.
Youth teams on a roll
Kai Rooney has been excelling in United’s youth set-up and it was a good weekend for the youngsters throughout the ranks
While Amorim and the first team are back in the eye of the storm he predicted at the end of last year, it is sunshine and rainbows in the club’s academy right now.
Over the weekend the U15s, U16s, U18s and U21s ran out as winners, with a number of standout performances.
Kai Rooney, son of United great Wayne, was on the scoresheet for the U15s as they won their Manchester derby away to Man City 2-1. JJ Gabriel, the star man at that age level, made his return from injury for the derby, and eye-witnesses spoke of how he transformed the game for United.
Elsewhere, rising star striker Louie Bradbury was on target for the U16s as they downed Derby County 5-0, while the U18s ran out 5-2 winners over Preston North End in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup.
United’s U21s, who are in action this evening in the Premier League International Cup, edged out Aston Villa 2-1 with a brace from Sam Mather.
Just a shame the first team couldn’t complete the perfect weekend.
