Man Utd 'hold secret talks' for midfield transfer after INEOS sanctioned three moves

Manchester United have reportedly held talks with a potential midfield signing, who could arrive at Old Trafford this month. The Red Devils have already completed one major piece of business, having sacked the much-maligned Ruben Amorim and hired Michael Carrick on a short-term deal until the end of the campaign.

It remains to be seen whether INEOS decide to back Carrick during the January transfer window, given they’ve been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions. But according to reports, the United hierarchy are believed to have got the ball rolling in terms of January recruitment.

That’s because transfer expert Ben Jacobs has reported that a meeting with an unnamed midfielder has taken place, with a view to signing the player this month. It’s claimed that the player does have Premier League experience, but is currently plying their trade outside of England.

It comes after United reportedly made further reshuffles to their backroom staff, with three new additions to their data department expected to join. It was claimed by the Manchester Evening News that a senior football data scientist, a senior software engineer, and a senior football data engineer are set to be appointed by the 20-time champions.

A club spokesperson told the outlet: "We're looking for experienced, motivated people to join Michael Sansoni and his team to help set a new standard in football data. Think APIs, machine learning, AI, web tools and streaming data pipelines, we're working on it all to drive performance on the pitch and across the whole club."

In terms of potential signings this month, there have been suggestions that Ruben Neves could be returning to the Premier League. The Portuguese midfielder enjoyed a stint at Wolves before making the move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023.

He has just six months left on his contract with Al-Hilal, with talk of a Premier League club tempting the Saudi Arabian outfit into a sale. Al-Hilal paid £47million for Neves’ signature, and sources say they could find it hard to turn down a chance to recoup some cash.

On the field, Carrick will begin his reign as United’s interim at home to Manchester City on Saturday, before a tricky assessment away to Arsenal the following week. After that, clashes against Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and strugglers West Ham United will follow.