Affected by the African Cup, Manchester United plans to reject all players' applications to leave the team in the winter transfer window
2025-10-28 08:50
Manchester United plans to reject all player departures in the winter transfer window next year, according to Samuel Luckhurst, editor-in-chief of the Manchester Evening News, who also pointed out that this move is to address the potential squad vacancies during the African Cup of Nations.
Manchester United, without European football, has proactively downsized its squad this summer. Ruben Amorim currently has 26 first-team players available, with Argentine center-back Lisandro Martínez still unable to return to training due to an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury sustained nine months ago. Dutch left-back Tyrrell Malacia has returned to first-team training, but Lukehurst believes he is highly unlikely to play for the Reds again. As for 17-year-old Chido Obi and 18-year-old Diego León, neither has yet made their first-team debut.
With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations approaching, Manchester United's squad depth will face a severe test. From December 21st to January 18th, Amorim will be without Cameroonian right winger Brian Mbeumo, Ivorian right winger Amad Diallo, and Moroccan right back Nouseel Mazrawi. These three players form a seamless partnership on the right side of Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation, and their absence will severely weaken Manchester United's tactical deployment and competitiveness during the Christmas and New Year fixtures.
In view of this, Manchester United has decided to prevent any player from leaving the team during the January transfer window. Lukehurst also learned that players such as Kobe Menou and Joshua Zirkzee are expected to play key roles around Christmas and in January, despite having rarely played before.
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