Manchester United succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford to Bayern Munich on Tuesday (December 12) in the UEFA Champions League. Erik ten Hag's men finished bottom of Group A to bow out of Europe.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils have been advised to appoint Aston Villa boss Unai Emery as Ten Hag's replacement. Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt are leading the race to sign United midfielder Donny van de Beek.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on December 12, 2023:
Manchester United sent Unai Emery advice
Former Middlesbrough midfielder Robbie Mustoe has advised Manchester United to replace Erik ten Hag with Unai Emery.
The Dutch manager suffered another blow this season following the defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the Champions League. The Red Devils have lost 12 of their 23 games this season across competitions.
Emery, meanwhile, has transformed Aston Villa into a force to reckon with. The Villans are third in the Premier League after 16 games and have beat Arsenal and Manchester City in their last two league games.
On The 2 Robbies, Mustoe said that the Spaniard would be perfect for Manchester United
“I should not mention this, but I can’t help think it, the game we just reviewed and thinking about people who might come in for Erik ten Hag… Unai Emery,” said Mustoe.
He continued:
"And I’m only chucking it out there as a bit of fun, right. Villa fans, don’t get too crazy about it. But just listen to this, in terms of his experience, his ability to win competitions, domestically and internationally, he’s been around the Premier League a bit now, he’s been at a big club in the Premier League in Arsenal, didn’t work very well. He’s showing himself now what a superb coach he is. I think his attention to detail, his work ethic is perfect for Manchester United.”
Ten Hag's team are sixth in the league after 16 games.
Eintracht Frankfurt want Donny van de Beek
Eintracht Frankfurt are leading the race to sign Donny van de Beek in January, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The Dutch midfielder has failed to live up to expectations since arriving at Manchester United from Ajax in 2020. He's a peripheral figure under Ten Hag and has previously expressed a desire to leave in search of regular football.
Frankfurt are in talks with Red Devils regarding a loan deal. Negotiations have progressed well, and the move could materialise at the turn of the year.
Girona also had their eyes on the 26-year-old, but their proposal wasn't of interest to the Premier League giants.
Jadon Sancho is loved at Borussia Dortmund, says journalist
A move back to Borussia Dortmund could help Jadon Sancho rejuvenate his career, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The English forward has been a disappointment since leaving the Signal Iduna Park in 2021 to join Manchester United.
He remains banished from the first team following a social media controversy and is expected to leave in January.
Juventus have been linked with a interest in Sancho by Fabrizio Romano recently. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones pointed out that the 23-year-old wouldn't fit in at Turin under Massimiliano Allegri.
“Sancho is loved at Dortmund, and you wonder if it will take a move like this to bring him back to life. He’s got to recapture his love of football, and for that to happen, he’s got to feel comfortable and in tune with the environment so that he can just focus on returning to top form," said Jones.
He continued:
"There is barely anywhere in the world you can imagine that being the case for him - indeed, I would not trust it to be the case with Allegri at Juventus - so Dortmund is an exciting option if it can open up."
Jones also insisted that Sancho would have to toil to break into the first team with Dortmund if a return materialises.
“One of the problems is where they fit him in. Away from Donyell Malen, they also have Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Giovanni Reyna and Marco Reus competing for game time, so to succeed, he would certainly need to find his A-game pretty fast," said Jones.
There have been talk of a swap deal between the two clubs involving Sancho and Donyell Malen, as per Bild.