It was an incredibly difficult watch for Manchester United supporters in the Football Transfer Tavern over the weekend as the Red Devils toiled to an unconvincing 1-0 triumph over Sheffield United in the FA Cup third round at Old Trafford.
Having huffed and puffed for 90 minutes, Dean Hammond’s injury time trip on Memphis Depay was enough for Wayne Rooney to slot home the penalty while sending Louis van Gaal’s side through to the fourth round.
But it was the manner of the sluggish performance that will really worry United supporters and what’s more, it appeared the club were improving in the Chelsea and Swansea City performances but the game against the Blades was in all honesty, enough to send you to sleep.
To add to Red Devils fans’ frustrations, Louis van Gaal has also noted recently that January arrivals at Old Trafford are unlikely despite many tabloids claiming the club are closing in on Lazio’s Felipe Anderson.
That said, we all know by now that managers sometimes bluff to throw the press of the scent and what’s more, United look like a team that are in need of a few additions with the club looking devoid of ideas for long periods of Saturday evening’s fixture against the Blades.
With transfers naturally in mind this month, we’re today taking a look at five Red Devils transfer rumours that we think can be ruled out during the current window.
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Click on the image below to reveal the five Manchester United January transfer rumours that can be ruled out.
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Ricardo Rodriguez
As we all know by now, Manchester United failed to add to their defence beyond the capture of Matteo Darmian and the summer with swoops for Nicolas Otamendi and Sergio Ramos going nowhere.
A high-profile defender linked with an Old Trafford switch right now is Wolfsburg’s Swiss international Ricardo Rodriguez who is a left back by trade but can perform at centre back like Marcos Rojo.
With Luke Shaw out for the rest of the season, Ashley Young and Daley Blind makeweights at left back and Rojo looking outcast, a move for Rodriguez makes sense but we can’t see United sanctioning the reported £30 million asking fee for him.
Yes, Manchester United paid an overinflated fee for Anthony Martial in the summer but we think with Shaw still the long-term left back at United for years to come, will the Red Devils really spend so much on somebody who would be direct competition?
James Rodriguez
Another Rodriguez who has hit the Manchester United rumours recently is Real Madrid’s James who The Telegraph claimed could be subject of a winter bid by the Red Devils back on December 30th.
The star of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil of course, James is an extremely talented player who would undoubtedly raise the excitement levels at Old Trafford but is a deal as big as this really going to take place in January?
While James hasn’t scaled the heights anticipated for him at the Bernabeu, he is still a high profile star in a tight-knit Real Madrid squad at the moment and if no replacement is coming in, surely United have no chance of landing him this January.
What’s more, with a new manager in Zinedine Zidane now in charge, the Colombian international’s fortunes could change for the better although he’ll have to get ahead of Isco in the pecking order after the Spaniard was selected from the start while James was an unused substitute in a 5-0 demolition of Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Riyad Mahrez
We’re well accustomed to Riyad Mahrez transfer rumours now with the Algerian international having enjoyed a scintillating 2015/16 campaign so far but we think links of a switch to Manchester United are inaccurate.
Leicester City have claimed he isn’t for sale all along and despite capturing Demarai Gray from Birmingham City already this month, we simply think the Foxes are building their ranks for potential European football next season.
We’ve also read repeatedly that Mahrez is happy at the King Power Stadium and in a rare case nowadays, it genuinely seems as if he’s content to stay where he is for now while continuing to develop his game.
What’s more, Manchester United would only be held to ransom for such a key player in the Foxes ranks and we think Louis van Gaal’s men have more chance of luring Sadio Mane away from Southampton as an alternative with the player acting up in recent weeks.
Romelu Lukaku
The latest twist on the Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United rumours are that the Everton forward would actually prefer a switch to Paris Saint-Germain according to The Independent.
With the Belgian international rated at around £50 million by most publications, it’s silly money of course but in today’s market, you can see why Everton would want to hold any interested party to ransom given both his age and goals scored in his career so far.
On this one, we just don’t think a transfer this big will be taking place in January and anyway, Everton have proved with John Stones and Chelsea that they’re one of the hardest clubs to bargain with when it comes to poaching the Toffees’ star players.
Marquinhos
It wouldn’t be a transfer window without a rumour concerning Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos rocking up at the bar and we read in the Manchester Evening News recently that the Brazilian international has felt ‘flattered’ by the latest speculation.
But how many times have we read this kind of rumour about the 21-year-old now?
Yes, we all know David Luiz and Thiago Silva are ahead of him in Laurent Blanc’s defensive pecking order at the Parc Des Princes but Marquinhos genuinely seems content to bide his time while becoming more of a regular in the near future.
After all, he claimed as much noting: “Like everyone else, I always want to be a part of the starting line-up. But we all must respect the choices of the coach and management.
Perhaps one for the summer transfer window but not right now.
