Manchester United want to hand some young stars the opportunity to go and thrive elsewhere from January with few opportunities under Ruben Amorim without European football
Diego Leon playing for Manchester United against Leeds
Diego Leon could leave Manchester UNited on loan in January(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United FC)
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Manchester United are set to allow three youngsters to head out on loan in January. Diego Leon, Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi are all said to be available for temporary moves next month as transfer talk heats up.
United could be active in the winter window as they prepare to to lose players to the Africa Cup of Nations with the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad all set to depart. But while the Red Devils could be poised to lean on their academy in the wake of players heading off mid-season, the likes of Heaven, Leon and Obi could still head out.
The young trio have struggled for opportunities under Ruben Amorim this term, and are now set to continue their development elsewhere for the short term, per reports.
Leon, 18, arrived at the club in the summer but had big ambitions after leaving Cerro Porteno. The young full-back has not yet appeared in a competitive fixture for the first team and is being linked with a move to Nice, who would offer him the chance to gain valuable first-team experience for six months.
"I’m really happy, I think every player dreams of this," Leon told Versus before his move to Old Trafford. "When you’re a professional, you have to adapt quickly, it is a massive opportunity.
"Everyone thinks I’ll go out on loan, but I don’t have that mindset. I’m going to kill it in pre-season and within one or two games, I’ll already be playing with them."
Chido Obi
Chido Obi made eight appearances for the United first team last season
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Heaven has enjoyed more first-team action since joining from Arsenal, but his situation is also likely to be assessed. The 19-year-old has shown promise but has only earned 158 minutes on the pitch this term. Forward Obi, who also joined from Arsenal, broke into United's first team plans last season after dominant displays in the youth ranks. Amorim has since admitted he introduced the striker at an inappropriate time.
Obi has been required to settle with the club's under-21s this term, having made eight appearances under Amorim last season. The striker has not appeared since the final day game against Fulham Amorim believes he did not foster the correct environment for Obi to thrive last term. “He played last year, but I think it was too soon," he said.
"We didn’t have a team we could put a young kid of 16 into and him not struggle. He’s one of the guys but he started too soon. Sometimes it’s hard to deal with that, with the kids, because they think that ‘I’m already here’. We need to be careful with that.”
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