Man Utd are “very unlikely” to allow wantaway duo Joshua Zirkzee or Kobbie Mainoo to leave Old Trafford in January, according to the club’s former chief scout.
After an inconsistent start to the new Premier League season, the Red Devils have come into form in recent weeks with ten points from their last four matches.
Three wins and a draw in their last four Premier League games has seen the pressure ease on Ruben Amorim ahead of the January transfer window.
Man Utd could now be more inclined to give Amorim what he wants in the winter with a midfielder understood to be on their shopping list.
The Red Devils could also face a fight to keep Mainoo and Zirkzee with both players looking to get some game time ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
But former Man Utd chief scout Mick Brown – who remains well-connected at Old Trafford – insists that the Red Devils are keen to keep Mainoo and Zirkzee – despite neither of them starting a Premier League match this season – with Amorim looking to keep his squad together.
Brown told Football Insider: “Ruben Amorim does not want to lose players in January.
“It’s United’s own fault that they’re in this situation, particularly for the way Kobbie Mainoo has been treated since the summer window was open.
“He was one of their top performers last season, so all of a sudden for him to be barely getting a kick and entertaining offers, that’s not a good situation to be in.
“But I still don’t think they’ll be open to losing him mid-way through the season because as an option either off the bench or for rotation, he’s very important.
“The same goes for Zirkzee, he’s been sidelined for a while, but he’s still the type of player you’d want in your squad even if he’s not playing every game.
“Whether he’s happy with that, I’m not sure, but from the manager’s point of view he wants to keep him around because he’s a good depth option.
“You never know if you’re going to pick up a couple of injuries or something like that, and all of a sudden these are the players you need to be calling on.
“So I think it’s very unlikely that they’ll be letting those two leave in January, and the same goes for a number of players on the fringes of the squad.”
Man Utd have also been linked with several forwards with Benjamin Sesko struggling to adapt to the Premier League but Fabrizio Romano has given them “zero” chance of signing Real Madrid’s Endrick.
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Rumours about Endrick joining Manchester United are zero because he wants to play.
“He would be ready to compete, as he is doing at Real Madrid, but what he wants most right now is regular playing time to show his skills and develop.”