Man Utd information: £38m switch battle with ex-boss as secret assembly over shock transfer emerges
Manchester United are eyeing up January transfers as Michael Carrick fights to turn things around and get back to winning ways at Old Trafford
Michael Carrick has decisions to make at Manchester United
Manchester United are working on January transfers as Michael Carrick hopes to bounce back after the international break.
The Red Devils have got off to a miserable start to the season, with just one win over newly-promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League, plus two losses – including one to arch rivals Manchester City – and two draws. Meanwhile a victory over Champions League minnows Sabah was followed by being dumped out of the Carabao Cup at home by Brighton.
Naturally, attention has turned to Carrick’s future and whether the impressive third-placed finish and Champions League qualification he achieved last season was a flash in the pan. And eyes have also started to look towards the January transfer window and what deficiencies in United’s squad can be rectified when it opens, to get the club back to its former glory. Here’s all the latest news from Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick is under pressure to turn things around at Manchester United(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
JJ Gabriel’s reversal
Gabriel, one of United’s most promising youngsters, ominously cleared his Instagram profile earlier in September.
Shortly after, it was revealed that he wished to depart from the club, reports the Mirror.
At present, United have refuted claims of cancelling his registration, which is his only immediate exit route as he’s too young to sign a scholarship or professional contract.
However, when he turns 16 on October 6, United would be helpless and he’d be free to depart for another European club if he secured the necessary paperwork.
JJ Gabriel wants to leave Manchester United(Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the speculated interested parties.
While Gabriel doesn’t seem to have backed down, he has reinstated some posts on his Instagram account after erasing everything. Two posts have reappeared on his profile. The first is a photo of Gabriel after he inked a long-term deal with Nike in late 2025.
The other depicts the 15 year old bagging the Under-18 Premier League Player of the Season Award from 2025/26, grinning alongside Alan Shearer and his trophy.
Instagram allows users to archive posts and restore them to their feed at their leisure. Users can also retrieve deleted content within 30 days of its deletion, but it’s unclear which option Gabriel utilised.
Clandestine Man Utd meeting
Roy Keane of Manchester United clashes with Patrick Vieira of Arsenal(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
Patrick Vieira has confessed to a covert meeting with legendary ex-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who was keen to lure him to Old Trafford.
The Frenchman shone for Arsenal between 1996 and 2005, clinching three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
During this era, United and Arsenal frequently battled as fierce adversaries, with Vieira notably developing a rivalry with Roy Keane.
However, he has now revealed that Ferguson was keen to pair him alongside Keane and even arranged a meeting with the Scotsman to discuss a potential switch from the Gunners.
The timing of this encounter remains unclear, though United were reportedly pursuing Vieira in 2003.
“I had an opportunity to move to Manchester United,” Vieira told Sky Sports. “I had a meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson. Full respect, I couldn’t say no to meeting him because he was an important figure in the Premier League.
“We met and we talked and he explained to me his vision that he had for Manchester United and the team that he wanted to build.
“He wanted to play me with Keane, [Ryan] Giggs on the left-hand side, David Beckham on the right-hand side and [Paul] Scholes to play behind [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, so it wasn’t a bad team.
“But I couldn’t leave Arsenal, I was too happy there and we were on the way of building something quite really special for the club and that’s the way it was. I felt the love from the club, from the players and from the fans.
“Everything was there for me to grow up as a player and to achieve what I wanted to.”
Transfer battle
Manchester United have eyed up Alejandro Balde(Image: Getty Images)
United are reportedly set to face a tussle with former boss Ruben Amorim for the signature of Barcelona star Alejandro Balde.
United have been strongly linked with acquiring a new left-back, with the speculation stretching back to the beginning of the summer transfer window, after Tyrell Malacia depart the club as a free agent , leaving Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu as the only senior options at the club.
Balde, 22, was rumoured to be on United’s radar throughout the summer, but the Red Devils were unable to strike a deal to bring the Barcelona defender to Old Trafford, with the player instead staying put at the Camp Nou.
Now, however, it appears former Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim’s AC Milan have entered the hunt for the £38m-rated Spain international.
According to journalist Ekrem Konur, Milan have shown interest in securing Balde when the January transfer window open, as he no longer features in manager Hansi Flick’s plans.
