It's Christmas Eve, which means the January transfer window is just around the corner.
Football is synonymous with the festive period and there should be some cracking games played, but clubs will already have an eye on the transfer window and how they can strengthen.
[Manchester United](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/manchester-united-fc) have been quiet in the last few Januarys and have been limited to loans. There were no new players brought to Old Trafford in the winter window at the beginning of this year and Jack Butland, Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer were signed on loan in January 2023.
That gives you an idea of how the club has operated, although they will strike in the upcoming January window if funds can be raised through sales and the right opportunity arises.
There have more outgoings - quite a few loans - than incomings in recent Januarys and the window also represents the time that out-of-contract players are permitted to speak to clubs abroad.
United have six players who are out of contract at the end of the season and they will be able to negotiate terms for a summer free transfer with overseas sides from New Year's Day.
The players approaching their contract expiries are Amad, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton, but United have a one-year contract option with Amad and Maguire and the latter recently confirmed that talks were ongoing with the club.
“Listen, I haven't really thought about it. I've still got this year to go with an option in their hands," said Maguire. "But all the signs are positive at the moment and the chat that I'm having is really positive.”
Maguire was then asked whether talks were taking place and he simply replied: "Yeah."
Maguire spoke to the MEN in the mixed zone.
Maguire has enjoyed a strong 2024 despite picking up a few different injuries. Nevertheless, he played through the pain barrier in certain games last season and he's continued to be in good form when he's been available in this campaign.
The 31-year-old will admit his form wasn't good enough for United for around two seasons, which saw him lose the captain's armband, but Maguire has never sulked, moaned or become a bad egg.
Maguire is a player you want to be in the trenches with and Ruben Amorim has described him as "perfect" for his system, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him receive a new contract.
The one-year extension could be triggered but the sweet spot might be a new, two-year deal. It's likely Maguire would want more than two years and that will be a prominent talking point in negotiations but a compromise might have to be reached between both parties.
Moving on, giving Amad a new long-term contract is a no-brainer. The Ivory Coast international has been superb and his ceiling has not been reached, which makes him hugely exciting.
Amad has made a seamless transition to playing in Amorim's system. He can start as a right wing-back and play in one of the No.10 roles, which is a testament to his versatility and quality, and only Mohamed Salah and Bukayo Saka have more assists (10) in the Premier League this season.
Maguire and Amad have futures at United but the other four players don't. Lindelof was supposed to leave in the summer but an injury prevented him from packing his bags and he sustained another issue in the defeat to Tottenham, which means he looks unlikely to leave in January.
Lindelof has been the great survivor at Carrington - he is the second longest serving United player - but his days are obviously numbered and he is expected to leave on a free transfer.
While Eriksen enjoyed a purple patch in the final weeks of Erik ten Hag's tenure, his minutes have been reduced again by Amorim and United will be open to offers for him in January.
Evans will celebrate his 37th birthday on January 3 and giving him a third one-year contract might be a stretch, despite his return to the club being a huge success. Heaton is in the same boat as he'll be 39 at the end of the season and the goalkeeper might want to hang up his gloves.