Man United Confidential: The surprise name added to Ruben Amorim's list of midfield targets, Red Devils join fight to sign 'the next Toni Kroos' and which academy stars are heading out on loan in Janu

Manchester United are facing a battle with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City to sign a world-class midfielder next summer.

United have prioritised buying a new No 6, but all three of their Premier League rivals will be shopping in the same marketplace with more money to spend.

United enquired about Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Conor Gallagher of Atletico Madrid towards the end of the summer transfer window. However, they were unable to do a deal after spending £230million on forwards Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, as well as new goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton, of Crystal Palace, will be in great demand at the end of the season, and Confidential understands United are also monitoring Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes.

United are trying to drive down their wage bill – one reason the club are reluctant to extend Casemiro’s contract on £375,000-a-week – and that may put them at a disadvantage compared to City, Liverpool and Chelsea who are also likely to be able to gazump them on transfer fees.

United would prefer to sign a new midfielder before the World Cup to avoid prices for individual targets soaring if they do well at the tournament, and may have to consider cheaper, emerging targets.

A January signing cannot be ruled out, and Gallagher may be an option on loan with a view to a £45m summer move. The 25-year-old is happy in Spain but has made 12 of his 16 appearances for Atletico this season off the bench, and wants to play more ahead of the World Cup.

A January deal would also allow United to explore a move for Kobbie Mainoo, who still wants to go out on loan after his request to join Napoli last summer was rejected.

Amorim is reluctant to lose any players because his squad isn’t big enough, but Mainoo has started just one game this season and, like Gallagher, wants to improve his England prospects.

Happy end to Sesko injury saga

All’s well that ends well in the Sesko saga after Slovenia defused a potential club-versus-country row with United over the £74million striker.

Slovenia boss Matjaz Kek had threatened to cause a diplomatic incident by publicly questioning why he and his medical team had been kept in the dark over the knee injury Sesko suffered towards the end of United’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham on Saturday.

As well as demanding the medical reports, Kek would clearly have preferred his own doctors to examine Sesko and called for ‘maximum respect’ to be show to his country.

United, on the other hand, felt that they had followed all the necessary protocols, and the Slovenian FA have calmed the controversy by confirming that they have received the scan results and accept United’s decision to keep Sesko in Manchester for further treatment on an injury that is not as bad as first feared.

‘The medical team of the Slovenian national football team received the complete medical documentation from Manchester United regarding Benjamin Sesko’s health condition following his injury on Saturday, including the current clinical picture and the examinations performed,’ said a spokesperson.

‘Unfortunately, the injury currently does not allow for the training process. In the coming days, additional examinations and the start of treatment are planned at the club, so Benjamin will unfortunately not be able to participate in this national team action. We wish Benjamin a speedy recovery and a return to the football field as soon as possible.’

Pat on the back for Kone

Sekou Kone has been hard at work building himself up to full fitness after making his return to the pitch against Notts County recently.

That work has now included teaming up with first team wing-back Patrick Dorgu, with the pair taking sessions together with the same private coach.

Kone spent 84 days on the sidelines after fracturing his eye socket in the National League Cup against Tamworth. The young midfielder, who trained on a couple of occasions with the first team last week, is using the coaching of Kwaku Ohemeng.

The coach, who also counts Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong among his clients, put the United pair through their paces in recent days. It is useful, too, for Kone to have the support of a first-team player as he slowly builds towards integrating himself in that group.

Burnham’s final target for OT

United's new £2billion stadium could host the 2035 Women’s World Cup final if Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has his way.

Burnham is part of the stadium taskforce driving plans to knock down Old Trafford and build a new ‘Wembley of the North’ if United can secure private funding for the project and government backing for the wider regeneration of the area around the ground.

Although a target of 2030 to complete the stadium project might be overly optimistic, Burnham believes United could host the showpiece final when the Women’s World Cup comes to these shores five years later.

‘If we really get it moving, I think there's a fairly high likelihood that we will be hosting the women's FIFA World Cup in 2035,’ Burnham told podcast The Added Time. ‘Imagine a final at that new Old Trafford. It would be quite something to aim for, wouldn’t it?’

Eichhorn on Reds’ radar

United are among a host of Europe’s top clubs tracking the progress of Hertha Berlin’s teenage midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, who is drawing comparisons with German great Toni Kroos.

The 16-year-old has made 10 appearances for Hertha in the Bundesliga 2 this season since he was handed his debut against Karlsruhe in August, and will have a release clause of around £10m in the summer.

Bayern Munich are expected to lead the fight to keep Eichhorn in Germany, and it’s understood that scouts from United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have also been monitoring him along with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Amorim anniversary

Today marks the anniversary of Amorim’s first day in charge of United.

It’s been a rocky ride for the Portuguese coach, who at least reaches the milestone on the back of an improved run of form that has seen his team unbeaten in the last five games, winning three and drawing two.

It gives Amorim a record of played 54, won 21, drawn 14 and lost 19, and leaves him with some work still to do to match any of his five predecessors who followed Sir Alex Ferguson into the Old Trafford hotseat, all of whom had better win rates than the Portuguese.

David Moyes' record, for example, was P51, W27, D9, L15 during his ill-fated 9 months in charge.

Academy focus

With the January transfer window fast approaching, conversations are ramping up behind the scenes at Carrington as to how to manage the development of the Under 21s squad.

There has been a plethora of scouts from clubs across the EFL closely watching all of United’s Premier League 2 matches so far this season.

James Scanlon, who had loan interest from up in Scotland during the summer, is one being tracked, while decisions need to be made on players like Gabriele Biancheri, Jacob Devaney and Jayce Fitzgerald, all of whom need to take a next step out on loan.

‘Conversations are already taking place,’ Under 21s boss Travis Binnion told Confidential. ‘We’re coming to a nice period now with the international break to get together and discuss not only who might go out, but how well the other ones are going.

‘I think we’re all really happy with how the loans have done. We’ve got to reassess what’s right for them in January, and also the lads that are in the building: how do we get the next stage of their development right.’

Radek Vitek and Harry Amass have both been thriving in the Championship, Sonny Aljofree and Ethan Ennis have played well in League Two, while Ethan Williams is making his mark up in Scotland with Falkirk.

One to keep an eye on is young goalkeeper Elyh Harrison who, after starting the season as Shrewsbury Town’s No 1, has not played at all since September 20. Conversations are ongoing as to whether that loan will need to be cut short in the winter window.

Bid for stars’ shirts

Fans can get their hands on signed match-worn shirts from United’s 2-2 draw at Tottenham, and support The Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal campaign on Armistice Day by bidding online.

The current bids are £2,372 for Bruno Fernandes’ shirt and £1,268 for Matheus Cunha’s, while the jerseys worn by United’s two goal scorers, Bryan Mbeumo and Matthijs de Ligt, have attracted offers of £1,167 and 1,143 respectively.

All of the net proceeds from the auctions go to The Royal British Legion whose partnership with MatchWornShirt has raised £3.5million over the past seven years.

To bid in one of the United shirt auctions, go to mws.com/category/poppy-appeal-2025

Tribute to MUDSA champion Chas

Relations between the club and the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association have improved significantly since Sir Jim Ratcliffe briefly considered cutting an annual £40,000 donation, and now the Stretford End accessibility platform is being named in honour of former MUDSA chair Chas Banks, who passed away last year.

United’s chief executive Omar Berrada made the announcement when he spoke at the MUDSA annual dinner on Friday, and paid tribute to Banks, who drove the £11m development of accessible facilities at Old Trafford, including 118 new wheelchair positions and 158 new amenity seats.

‘Chas Banks always sought to improve the environment for fans and MUDSA members,’ said Berrada.

‘He was an important figure within our fan community and represented MUDSA with integrity and passion, as well as playing a significant role on our Fans’ Forum for almost a decade. I hope you agree this is a fitting tribute to a great man, and we look forward to making the official unveiling early in the new year.’

Parker’s rude awakening

In his new autobiography Tackling the Game, Paul Parker shines a light on racism in football and the intense rivalries he encountered after joining United from QPR in 1991.

‘In my first season, we played Leeds at Elland Road three times in two weeks because we were drawn against them in both domestic cups,’ Parker recalls. ‘For the first time ever, the Leeds fans called me a red b****** as opposed to a black one. That was my introduction into just how much Leeds fans hate Manchester United.’

The former England defender, now a regular at Old Trafford as a pundit, also opens up on what it was like to be part of a dressing room with the likes of Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Paul Ince and Peter Schmeichel as Sir Alex Ferguson led United to dominance, losing his place to Gary Neville when the Class of ’92 emerged and his experiences at Italia ’90.

Tackling The Game – Paul Parker, My Life in Football is published by Pitch Pitching and is out now.

Stars raise £30k in their sleep

Former United players Michael Carrick, Wes Brown and Phil Jones were among 120 participants in the annual ‘sleep out’ at Old Trafford which raised £30,000 for the club’s foundation and the work it does to support vulnerable young people, many of whom have experienced poverty and homelessness.

Carrick, who took part in a Q&A with Brown, Jones and ex-kitman Albert Morgan before they slept under the stars, said: ‘Going through this experience, knowing it’s what some people have to go through every night, is very sad to know and understand.

‘But in these surroundings with over 100 people coming to sleep, it’s a night I’ll remember for a long time, and it’s vital to raise these funds and awareness so the foundation can do its best work.’ Donations to the appeal are still open at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/oldtraffordsleepout2025

Toone on right track

England and United midfielder Ella Toone is the latest star to voice tram announcements on the Bee Network as part of the build-up to Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Toone, who helped the Lionesses win back-to-back Euros in the summer, will be part of a United side hoping to maintain their 100 per cent record in the main phase of the tournament after qualifying for the first time.

Her voice will be heard through special announcements on platforms across the Metrolink network urging people to get off at either Wharfside or Old Trafford for the match and to use contactless tap and go for an easy journey.

The 26-year-old follows in the famous footsteps of Liam Gallagher, Rita Ora, Sir Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan by voicing the messages.

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