Manchester United U-23 manager Warren Joyce said he will not know how his squad will look until the transfer window closes. Loan moves are not allowed to happen anymore after the transfer window closes on August 31, meaning that any loans will need to be signed off before then.
Players that have left
Two big-name U-23 players have already left the United team in Adnan Januzaj and Guillermo Varela. Januzaj was loaned out to Sunderland who is managed by David Moyes, the manager who gave the Belgian his debut at Manchester United while Guillermo Varela was loaned out to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
Potential loan candidates
There is a long list of further youngsters that could potentially get loaned out such as James Weir, Josh Harrop, Sean Goss, and Joe Riley. Three of the four players, all but Riley, are in their 20s while Riley is 19-years-old and they are all currently a part of Manchester United’s reserve under-21 team.
Players in the United first team that may get loaned out include the likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Will Keane, and James Wilson. Wilson, the 20-year-old, got his debut when Ryan Giggs took over after Moyes was fired from the club, scoring two goals on his debut against Hull City, before being loaned to Brighton & Hove Albion in November 2015. Borthwick-Jackson also has first-team experience having made ten senior appearances for United.
Keane is the oldest of the bunch at 23-years-old. He made his senior debut back in December 2011 but has only made two senior appearances for United before experiencing a number of loan spells to lower league sides. Tuanzebe is one of the most highly touted prospects in the United Academy. However, the central defender is unlikely to get much playing time this season, sitting behind the likes of Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Daley Blind, and even Phil Jones.
Joyce speaks
The U-23 manager spoke to ManUtd.com about these potential moves saying that he imagines that a few more players will leave on loan over the coming weeks. He continued by saying that they are ready for the next steps and have to play against men to show what they are capable of. He finished by saying that he’ll know exactly what numbers he has to work with once the window shuts.