Now that the José Mourinho situation is sorted at Old Trafford, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking over on an interim basis until the end of the season, the club can turn their head towards the January transfer window.
But there in lies the issue: what can the former Norway international really achieve? If he’s only there for a short amount of time, his vision might be very different to that of the next manager coming in, meaning any purchases or exits should be left until next summer.
You could argue about the director of football route, but with no one in place as of yet, and just a few weeks to go, it doesn’t seem like January will be a very active month for the Red Devils.
And it is this situation, and Manchester United’s struggles, that perhaps has led to them missing out on Lucas Hernandez from Atlético Madrid.
Over the past few days, it’s become very clear, according to both French and Spanish outlets, notably Marca, that Bayern Munich are intent on signing the young defender, and they will most likely trigger his €80m release clause.
Both clubs have, for now, denied any deal or pre-agreement, yet Marca, on Thursday make it clear Hernandez will be playing in the Bundesliga during the second part of the season.
Where do Manchester United fall into all this? Well, the Spanish newspaper state they were interested back in August, yet made no move, as their intent was to trigger his release clause in January.
However, that’s exactly what Bayern Munich plan to do, and, as things stand, it’s very clear who the more attractive option is going forward, even if the Bavarians haven’t been their normal steamrolling selves.
