MANCHESTER UNITED failed to make a January signing but are expected to go back in for Jadon Sancho in summer.
One man who could have joined is new Brighton signing Moises Caicedo, but a source at the club described the potential deal as a "clusterf***".
Meanwhile, United are gearing up for their Premier League clash against Southampton at Old Trafford tonight.
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- Josh Graham
CHUK YOUR BIDS IN
Manchester United are set for a transfer tug-of-war with Juventus and Bayern Munich for Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka.
The Aston Villa midfielder, 17, has also been tipped to become England’s next big thing.
Chukwuemeka has represented England at youth levelCredit: Getty Images – Getty United already face competition from rivals Liverpool and Manchester City for Chukwuekmeka, who has been training with Dean Smith’s first team all season.
Chukwuemeka – a 6ft 1in powerhouse who plays in the No10 role – is tipped for Premier League action soon and signed a three-year deal at Villa Park in October.
But that hasn’t stopped Juve, Bayern and Co from queuing up to capture the player described as ‘the best 16-year-old in England’ by Villa chief Christian Purslow last year.
United are keen to make Chukwuemeka part of their youth revolution under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they look to snap up the world’s best young talent.
- Josh Graham
SAINTS OR SINNER
Manchester United are looking to complete their first Premier League double over Southampton since 2012-13.
The Red Devils host Ralph Hasenhuttl's side at Old Trafford tonight.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men got the better of their opponents in the reverse fixture in November.
Edison Cavani came off the bench to bag a brace and lead United to a 3-2 win at St Mary's.
- Josh Graham
MENTAL BLOCK
Manchester United legend Gary Neville says the Red Devils don't have the 'mentality' required to win the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports: "I think it's a disappointment over the three games – Liverpool, Sheffield United and Arsenal – the fact that there's two points out of those three matches.
"They haven't got it yet. They haven't got the mentality of a champion team.
"It's difficult to have that from being eight weeks ago thinking the manager's in trouble after the defeat to RB Leipzig and going out of the Champions League, to all of a sudden eight weeks later transferring that mindset to 'we're a champion team'.
"They're not like Liverpool. They haven't won the title with all those players.
"They're not like Manchester City, they haven't got titles in the bank. They haven't got that experience to be able to draw upon."
- Josh Graham
SCOTT A FAN
Manchester United's Scott McTominay revealed he doesn't care much for stats when assessing how he's played.
The Scottish midfielder, 24, told United Review: "I think every game is a chance to improve. Every game at this football club is hugely scrutinised in every detail.
"
For me, it’s about doing my best every time I play and wanting to improve all the time and working with the manager and the coaches.
“That’s about it for me, I don’t really dive too much into form and different things like that. If the team is winning and you’re consistently playing to the best of your ability and you’re always looking to improve, then that’s a good season for me in terms of numbers and statistics.
“I find people get too caught up in ‘oh he made this many tackles, or he made this many interceptions'. As a player, you know when you’re playing well and you know when other people are playing well.
"
That ‘eye’ test is the best form of judging football players and just forgetting statistics.
“I can’t remember many games when there hasn’t been 11 players who haven’t played well and it’s about improving on that.”
- Josh Graham
DIALLED DOWN
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed sensation Joe Hugill is the youngster catching the eye over Amad Diallo.
Diallo, 18, completed his move to Old Trafford from Atalanta in January for a fee that could rise to a whopping £36million.
Man United coaches got to see the forward in action for the first time in an Under-23 clash with rivals Liverpool on Saturday.
But it was Hugill, 17, who stole the show by scoring four times in a 6-3 victory. Diallo did show his potential with two goals including a cheeky Panenka penalty.
Asked whether Diallo was pushing for his chance, the Norwegian responded: "We’re going to give him the time to settle in. If we go from that game [vs Liverpool], I’d pick Joe Hugill.
"Four goals by Hugill, he’s a top striker as well, we’re looking forward to seeing his development.
"Amad gets a good start and why Joe didn’t take the penalty himself to get five goals I’m going to ask him."
- Josh Graham
MAKING THE RIGHT MOISES
Manchester United lost out on Ecuadorian wonderkid Moises Caicedo with Brighton completing a £4.5million deal on deadline day.
The 19-year-old will join the Seagulls from Serie A side Independiente del Valle in his homeland.
The Red Devils had looked at the player and started negotiations before moving aside.
And while being called up the national team four times before his 20th birthday shows extreme promise, Brighton boss Graham Potter is aware he will need some time to adjust to the English game.
He told the club website: "It's no secret we have been working to bring Moises to the club, and we are very pleased he is finally here.
"He will need time to settle in with the group, for us to get to know him and vice versa, as well as get up to speed and ready for the demands of the Premier League.
"He has done very well in Ecuador and made his debut for his country at just 18. He's an exciting signing, but it is important we give him time to adjust."
- sstreet
LIGA OF THEIR OWN
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has opened up on Facundo Pellistri's loan to Alaves, saying it was the player's decision to move to LaLiga.
He commented: "We feel that he has taken some good strides when he has been here and we looked at a few options.
"That was a good option. He felt comfortable and confident going there, so hopefully he will get some important match minutes in a good league."
- sstreet
SAINTS OR SINNERS?
Manchester United are hoping to have Scott McTominay back in the starting line-up against Southampton tonight after he came off with stomach cramp against Arsenal.
And we'd expect to see Anthony Martial back in the starting line-up for this one with Marcus Rashford on the opposite flank.
Up front, Edinson Cavani is likely to get another chance to shine while Eric Bailly should earn a recall in defence.
- sstreet
AL OR NOTHING
Facundo Pellistri will be thrown in at the deep end after completing a loan move to Alaves.
Following strong performances with the U23s, Man Utd fans have been keen to see what the Uruguayan can do at a higher level.
And they'll learn a lot about his ability and mental toughness as he joins struggling Alaves in LaLiga.
The Basques are currently 18th in the table, stuck in the drop zone on goal difference behind Osasuna.
- sstreet
GREAL DEAL
Manchester United would have been able to sign both Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish last summer if it was not for Covid, according to reports.
According to the MEN, the Red Devils had the cash at their disposal to make both Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa yield.
However, the report adds that United will be back in for a winger this summer regardless of how well Amad Diallo settles in.
Sancho is thought to be the more likely of the two signings with his value having dropped following an indifferent campaign at Dortmund.
Grealish meanwhile has gone from strength to strength with his Aston Villa and England performances.
- sstreet
'CLUSTERF***'
Manchester United did not appear to go in for any big name signings in January as they bide their time until the summer.
One man who they were interested in though was Ecuadorian star Moises Caicedo.
However, the Independiente del Valle midfielder ultimately ended up moving to Brighton.
Sources at Old Trafford told the Manchester Evening News that the club pulled out because the potential deal for Caicedo was a "clusterf***".
- sstreet
ON THE WAYNE
Manchester United did just one piece of transfer business on deadline day and it involved Wayne Rooney.
Centre-back Teden Mengi will spend the rest of the season on loan at Derby Country.
Two weeks ago, Rooney was announced as permanent Rams boss after a spell as caretaker player-manager.
- supal
GOOD MORNING MAN UTD FANS
It was a quiet day for the Red Devils on deadline day with very little activity.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moved early in the window for Amad Diallo and that proved to be the only new arrival at Old Trafford this month.
There were plenty of loan departures, though, with the most notable being Jesse Lingard joining West Ham late last week.
Solskjaer will be more focussed on tonight’s clash with Southampton and getting back to winning ways.
Yes, it’s a Premier League matchday and another full bill of midweek action starts tonight.
For Man Utd it’s a clash with Southampton in a big game to stay in touch with Man City, and hold off a resurgent Liverpool side.
Solskjaer’s men had a rocky few days with defeat by Sheffield United and a draw at Arsenal meaning a return of just one point from six.
In his pre-match press conference, Solskjaer said: “The momentum shifted for us with the Sheffield United game. I’ve got the delegate’s report from the referee and the two decisions were wrong.
“They’ve admitted their goal should have been disallowed and our goal should have stood. That’s a big, big momentum changer for us.
“We are a bunch of nice lads. Maybe we should have made more of a fuss about it.
“Maybe we should have hung on to that or made them look at it before the game started again.
“So those are things we have to learn from and use as motivation or energy.”
Let’s see if that energy works for them tonight. Stay with us for all the Man Utd news and build-up to tonight’s game.
- supal
JANUARY WRAP
Here's the final report card for Man Utd this month.
IN
Amad Diallo (Atalanta).
OUT
Max Haygarth (Brentford), Ethan Laird (MK Dons) loan, Luca Ercolani (Carpi), Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Bayer Leverkusen), Di'Shon Bernard (Salford) loan extension, Jesse Lingard (West Ham) loan, Tahith Chong (Club Brugge) loan, Fecundo Pellistri (Alaves) loan, Teden Mengi (Derby) loan.
- supal
EVERY LITTLE HELPS
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made sure to get his Deadline Day shopping fix, by nipping to his local Tesco.
The Red Devils have had a quiet month on the transfer front, only bringing in Amad Diallo from Atalanta.
So Solskjaer, 47, had little else to be doing today, rather than a regular, mundane task like popping to the shop.
Clad in full Man United tracksuit and customary mask, the Norwegian clutched a multi-pack of Pepsi Max as he made his way back to his Range Rover.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer popped to the shop on Deadline DayCredit: BackGrid OGS was clad in full Man United gear as he made the big tripCredit: BackGrid
- supal
FER REAL
Rio Ferdinand revealed fans once turned up to his house wearing 'balaclavas and hoodies' demanding he signed a new Manchester United contract.
Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel: "I was in my house one day and all of a sudden the bell rings.
"And someone put their hand over, so I couldn't see the actual camera, couldn't see who was on it.
"So I thought, 'Who's this cheeky rat? Let me go outside and have a row – whatever it is – don't take liberties coming to my house.'
"So I jumped on the wall next to my gate, looked over the gate and there's about ten, 15 people there – guys with balaclavas and hoodies on, all ballied up.
"I'm thinking, 'What, they've come to rob my house?' And then, luckily, one of them shouted, 'Just sign the contract!'"
Rio Ferdinand revealed details of when a mob turned up at his house to get him to sign a new Manchester United dealCredit: Getty Images – Getty - supal
LAMP SHADE
Ex-Man Utd defender Gary Neville has explosively suggested Frank Lampard was part of a group of Chelsea players who called the media in a bid to get Andre Villas-Boas sacked in 2012.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, the ex-England right-back claimed: "[Lampard's sacking] wasn't really a shock.
"I thought initially he would get more time, just to let them settle in but you can't be surprised by Chelsea.
"I go back to Napoli eight or nine years ago, when Villas-Boas had picked a team in the afternoon of a Champions League game. He left out Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and another big player at that time.
"I remember Chelsea players at that time ringing up members of the media and trying to get him out. Frank was part of that group."
Gary Neville has claimed Frank Lampard was part of a group of Chelsea players who helped get Andre Villas-Boas sackedCredit: PA:Empics Sport - supal
GET YOUR PHIL
Phil Jones has had the door opened to restart his Manchester United career after a ‘disheartening’ year.
Jones' last appearance came just over 12 months ago and he was not even registered on the squad list at the start of this season.
Now, after a long road back from knee surgery, he has been made eligible to play again by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose latter years of his own career were blighted by injury.
United boss Solskjaer said: "It’s disheartening. It’s the worst thing for a football player. When you have injuries that take your passion away and take your chance to play football away.
"Phil has been a top centre-back and was in the World Cup squad two years back. He was brilliant when I came in so I wish him back into the squad as quick as I can."
Phil Jones has been handed a Man United lifelineCredit: Getty Images – Getty - supal
MET THEIR MATCH
For the early risers out there… it's match day for the Red Devils.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men take on Southampton tonight at Old Trafford.
Here's a little stat to get you in the mood.
- supal
DEADLINE DAY RECAP
A bit quiet out there so time for a quick recap – here's the pick of the storylines from deadline day…
- Liverpool signed two centre-backs – Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies
- Dele Alli stayed at Tottenham despite interest from PSG
- Joe Willock (Newcastle) and Ainsley Maitland-Niles (West Brom) both left Arsenal on loan
- No movement at Chelsea or Manchester United
- Bournemouth's Josh King joined Everton in a deal announced at 1am
- Southampton signed Takumi Minamino on loan from Liverpool in a late swoop
TEST BOOST
Premier League Covid positives have finally dropped back to pre-Christmas levels in a further boost to football chiefs.
Last week’s 2,957 tests across the 20 Prem clubs brought just seven new positive cases.
That is slightly down from the eight recorded in the seven days up to January 24, although this time there were positive cases in both sampling rounds.
Four of the positives came in the first batch of tests, of 1,713 players and staff, between Monday and Thursday.
There were then three positives out of 1,244 samples between Friday and Sunday.
The seven positives is the lowest total since the week of December 20, when the same number was recorded from only 1,569 tests.
- supal
JAB STAND
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has insisted that footballers cannot be allowed to jump the Covid-19 jabs queue.
There have been calls for elite athletes to be moved up the priority list to ensure they can play inside secure bubbles.
But Infantino, speaking at an appearance at the World Health Organisation, dismissed that idea – but also pledged he expected full houses at the 2022 World Cup Finals.
Infantino said: "The priority for the vaccine is of course for the people at risk and health workers.
"That is very sure in our minds and we don't consider football players as a priority in this respect.
"Of course, in the months to come and in the context of international competition and travel, vaccination might be recommended at some point.
"The Olympic Games are only in the summer but this will happen respecting established order of distribution. The people at risk should have priority."
Infantino has confirmed that footballers are not a vaccination priority at the momentCredit: Reuters - supal
TRAVEL PROBLEMS
Prem clubs have been left up in the air over whether they will be forced to release players for next month’s World Cup qualifiers, Martin Lipton reports.
Last week’s new UK border rules mean that South American and Portuguese players will be forced to spend 10 days in strict hotel quarantine when they return to British soil.
SunSport revealed how it could deprive Liverpool of Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino for three games at the start of April.
And it would bring similar issues for Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles and Ederson, Ruben Dias and Gabriel Jesus at Manchester City.
Bruno Fernandes is among the stars who could be affected by going away on international dutyCredit: Getty Images – Getty - supal
HURRY REDKNAPP
Harry Redknapp was in a hurry after he got LOST on his way to the Sky Sports studios in a hilarious transfer deadline day gaffe.
Redknapp was given an ovation as he finally joined Jim White on set, more than 40 minutes after he was supposed to following his ordeal to get from his Bournemouth home to West London.
Explaining the palaver, the former Spurs boss said: "I was on the M3, plenty of time and it's taken my three-and-a-quarter hours it took me from Bournemouth.
"I was going along lovely and then suddenly a sign flashed up saying 'accident J4 to J2'. Closed. Whatever.
"So I had to divert all the way back and Jim, I didn't have a clue. I've ended up coming up the M4, cutting across to Reading."
Asked if he has a sat nav, Redknapp added: "We do Jim but I have to be truthful, I've changed my car and I've not been anywhere since because we're in lockdown.
"I know my way here easy enough. I ain't got a clue how to work the sat nav. I can't work it. It's too complicated."
Harry Redknapp had a nightmare journey from Bournemouth to West London on deadline dayCredit: Sky Sports News - supal
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
Manchester United have announced their candidates for the club's January player of the month award.
United have revealed three players in their shortlist and Bruno Fernandes is not among them.
They are Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire.
Who will emerge victorious…?
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