Manchester United have Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton at the top of a four-man midfielder shortlist for the January transfer window, the latest report has claimed.
Ruben Amorim will hope that his side can beat fierce rivals Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday, but a loss could ramp up the pressure on his job once again.
Winning the midfield battle will be key, but there are fears that the Red Devils could lose out in the middle of the pitch given the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Casemrio have struggled this campaign.
United were credited with an interest in a number of midfielders in the summer, including Palace star Wharton, as well as Brighton & Hove Albion's Carlos Baleba.
TEAMtalk claim that while Wharton is the club's top target for the winter window, Baleba also features on their shortlist, as does Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham and Porto's Victor Froholdt.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton on April 26, 2025
Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Jobe Bellingham and Victor Froholdt assessed
Wharton and Baleba have considerable experience in the Premier League and should theoretically be able to adapt to the demands at Old Trafford quickly, though the latter's form at the start of 2025-26 has been poor.
Both players are just 21 and could still improve considerably, though Wharton is arguably better on the ball than the Brighton man, and his skillset may be more valuable to Amorim.
Bellingham has played in the Championship for Sunderland, but despite the fact he only signed for Dortmund this past summer, he is reported to be unsettled due to a lack of playing time.
The 20-year-old has played less than 200 Bundesliga minutes this season, but signing the all-action midfielder would be risky due to his lack of experience at the top level of football.
As for Froholdt, signing the 19-year-old would also entail risk considering he has only played eight league matches for Porto after signing for the club following three seasons in Denmark at Copenhagen.
Jobe Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund pictured in August 2025
Why midfield could be key to Ruben Amorim sack decision
With the club having failed to sign a midfielder in the summer, Amorim must navigate with his current group until at least the January transfer window.
United are set to face Liverpool on Sunday, followed by games against Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham United in their next six.
The club's upcoming fixtures are easier on paper than their opening games of the season, when they faced Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in their first five league outings.
If Amorim is able to find balance in his midfield in the coming weeks, then he will stand a much better chance of coming through the next games with a positive points haul.
Failure to considerably improve on the pitch and collect points will almost certainly cost him his job, especially as the Red Devils are not playing in Europe this term, meaning the Portuguese coach should have enough time to work on his tactics in training.
ID:583704:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5286: