Manchester United have overseen a low-key January transfer window following the positive impact made by Michael Carrick - but one player is moving on deadline day
Michael Carrick, interim head coach of Manchester United
Manchester United's improvement under Michael Carrick has meant a quiet January transfer window(Image: Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
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Manchester United are sending James Scanlon on loan to Swindon Town for the remainder of the season. United have already secured multiple exits for youngsters in an otherwise quiet January transfer window and Scanlon is set to be the next player to leave.
The 19-year-old winger has got the green light to join Swindon’s push for promotion from League Two under manager Ian Holloway. Town sit sixth in the table, three points off the automatic promotion positions, and are keen to add attacking threat.
Scanlon already has 20 caps and two goals for Gibraltar to his name and is ready for senior football, having been a regular for United’s academy sides. The winger has eight goals and five assists in 47 games for the under-21s, having been prolific for the under-18s after joining from Derby County in 2021.
United’s connection to the academy has been strengthened in the past month following the departure of Ruben Amorim. Michael Carrick has been appointed as interim boss until the end of the campaign, with under-21s boss Travis Binnion among his coaching staff.
Scanlon is yet to make an appearance for the United first team and is behind the likes of Shea Lacey in the pecking order. The winger’s brother, Luca Scanlon, is a midfielder and was also previously in the United academy before leaving for Burnley last year.
United have had a quiet January transfer window, having splashed over £200million to sign Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko in the summer. The departure of Amorim – and the immediate improvement under Carrick – has prompted the hierarchy to hold fire on deals until the summer, when a long-term managerial appointment will be made.
Instead, the club has prioritised exits of young players. Toby Collyer has been sent on loan to Hull City and Harry Amass to Norwich following previous loans at West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.
James Scanlon of Manchester United
James Scanlon is leaving Manchester United on loan(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Rhys Bennett was sold to Fleetwood Town, Joe Hugill departed permanently for Kilmarnock and Sam Mather terminated his contract in order to join Turkish side Kayserispor on a free transfer.
Carrick had left the door open for further deals when asked ahead of the 3-2 win over Fulham on Sunday. “Never say never. A lot can happen and situations can be thrown up,” he said. “Sometimes it is in our control, sometimes not. I am pretty calm. We have shown what we are capable of as a team.”
He was also asked about the future of captain Bruno Fernandes. “We all want to win things. We all want to get better. We want to improve as a team,” Carrick added. “We want to be successful and that's something we've got to work towards together, but Bruno's been fantastic since I've been here. He was fantastic when I was here before, so I've got nothing but good things to say about him.
“That's not to get too far ahead, you know. That's [his future] on the agenda a little bit, but my main agenda is getting through the game on Sunday with Fulham. Bruno's fully committed. There's absolutely no issues at all with that. Things further down the line [will be] addressed towards the end of the season or whatever. But now everything's positive at the moment.”
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