Man United weigh late left-back move but risk letting deadline day pass without signing

Manchester United face the prospect of closing the transfer window without a new signing after spending the summer unable to pin down a long-term left-back solution, with manager Michael Carrick still weighing up late options on deadline day.

Old Trafford sources stress the club will only act if the right opportunity presents itself, ruling out a repeat of the short-term loan fixes that defined previous windows — Odion Ighalo, Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer and Sergio Reguilon among them. Ineos are determined to move away from that stop-gap model, even if it means the window closes without an addition despite a net spend of just £110 million on four players this summer, one of whom is a back-up goalkeeper.

With Luke Shaw as the only recognised left-back on the books, United have spent months exploring alternatives. Right-back Noussair Mazraoui and winger Patrick Dorgu have been identified as cover options, while longer-term targets Lewis Hall and Myles Lewis-Skelly were unavailable, pushing the club toward lower-profile solutions. Harry Amass, the 19-year-old academy left-back, has not featured in either Premier League matchday squad this season and a permanent exit was considered, though any deal is now expected to be a loan — a reported move to Burnley having fallen through.

In attack, Joshua Zirkzee’s future remains unresolved. The 25-year-old Dutch forward is pushing to leave and Juventus are interested, though the Serie A club are also pursuing Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade. A proposed move to Fiorentina collapsed on Monday morning, but Juventus and at least one other club are still in the picture. Any departure would be structured as a loan with an option or obligation to buy.

Even if Zirkzee does exit, United are not certain to bring in a replacement. He was an unused substitute in the most recent Premier League fixture, and with Shea Lacey now a regular part of the first-team setup and Marcus Rashford back in contention, Carrick has sufficient attacking cover.

Academy forward Chido Obi is also keen to move on loan in search of regular first-team football. United are willing to sanction temporary exits for both Obi and Amass, but only to clubs the coaching staff believe will genuinely aid their development.