Manchester United have been linked with a highly-rated youngster targeted by rivals.placeholder image
Manchester United have been linked with a highly-rated youngster targeted by rivals. | AFP via Getty Images
Manchester United will look to be active to add reinforcements in the January transfer window
Manchester United will view the January transfer window as a chance to improve Ruben Amorim’s squad as the Red Devils target a return to the top four this season.
Following last campaign’s dire 15th-placed finish, improvement has arrived this term but there remains work to be done, with disappointing home results against the likes of Wolves and Everton reflecting the inconsistencies still held by Amorim’s side.
Ineos will know that this season represents a great chance for United to regain their spot amongst Europe’s elite, as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United continue to struggle in the bottom half and fourth-placed Liverpool show weakness.
Man United and rivals target Morocco U20 wonderkid starring in Championship
According to reports by TEAMtalk, Man United were at Vicarage Road on Thursday alongside a host of rival clubs to watch Watford and Morocco U20 starlet Othmane Maamma.
The 20-year-old winger has also attracted interest from Liverpool and Newcastle in addition to the Red Devils, with the trio of Premier League giants heading to watch him in the Championship on multiple occasions. The likes of Brentford, Brighton and Sunderland were also reported to be in attendance as the Hornets beat Birmingham 3-0 last time out to rise into the top six of the second tier, with Maamma growing to becoming an important part of Javi Gracia’s in-form side.
The former Montpellier academy graduate signed for Watford for just £1million in the summer and is already attracting major interest, after he rose to prominence in October during the Under-20 World Cup in Chile. Maamma grabbed one goal and four assists as Morocco went all the way to win the tournament, with Maamma awarded the Golden Ball for the player of the tournament after a series of ‘brilliant’ displays.
Watford would find it ‘hard to turn down a huge profit’ if a major club were to come in for the Moroccan in January, with as many as a dozen clubs believed to have been in attendance to watch him at Vicarage Road earlier this week.
‘I don’t expect’ - Amorim speaks on January transfer window
Amorim told reporters: "The transfer window is not going to change. We have no conversation in this moment to have any change in the squad.
"There's the process. There's an idea that is going to continue. We are near the places of Champions League, but we are also near eight teams behind us. So let's focus on the next game.”
Asked if players had requested to leave this month, he added: "No. None of them. I don't expect them to come to me to ask for anything."
Though Amorim continues to play down speculation around the club, there is no doubt that United will look to do some major transfer business in 2026.
With the futures of Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte uncertain, midfielders are a priority. In addition, a recent injury to Bruno Fernandes and the participation of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui at AFCON have only complicated matters further as the Red Devils’ squad is pushed to the limit.
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