Manchester United's manager, Ruben Amorim, has some choices ahead of the January transfer window.

When January rolls around, Manchester United can shake up its squad. This winter presents an opportunity to get some fresh blood. If needed, the Red Devils could also let some players leave.

Over the summer, Amorim was busy in the market, picking up players like Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, and Matheus Cunha. The former Sporting Lisbon coach took over at Old Trafford in November 2024, replacing Erik ten Hag.

Napoli is Interested in Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo

According to Football Italia, Napoli has ‘asked’ about signing Kobbie Mainoo from United. The Italian team wants the 20-year-old, who is contracted at Old Trafford until June 2027, but his long-term future is not certain.

Mainoo is an England international with 10 caps. He has seen less playing time with his current team recently under Amorim. So, it wouldn’t be a shock if he moved to a different team.

Born in Stockport, he came up through United's academy and played regularly for their youth teams. He made his first-team debut in January 2023 in a Carabao Cup game against Charlton Athletic. Since then, he has played 81 games in all competitions, including nine this season, scoring seven goals.

Will Manchester United Sell Kobbie Mainoo?

United has a tough call to make about Mainoo. No one questions his skill, and he has room to improve. But he does not seem to fit into Amorim's plans, which is unfortunate for the player.

A move to Napoli would be a new challenge. They won the Italian league last season and are in the Champions League. In Naples, he would team up again with Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund.

Former United player Nicky Butt shared his thoughts on Mainoo, according to Sky Sports: “I’m worried about him because he’s a star. He joined the England team at 18/19 and played great in the Euros.

“He’s been with Man United’s academy since he was seven. He was there when I was the academy manager. I know him well. I know his talent. The crazy thing is, if Kobbie Mainoo played for a team like Crystal Palace, or any club other than Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, or Chelsea (where it’s hard to sign their players), Man United would want to sign him in January for a big fee.

“It’s sad because I know how much he loves football and the club. More importantly, we all know how talented he is, and it would be a shame to waste it.”

Ruben Amorim rushed to the Selhurst Park dressing room at halftime, with Manchester United down 1-0 after a poor first half. Whatever he said at halftime seemed to spark a change.

After a shaky November threatened to undo October's progress, United fought back to defeat a tired Crystal Palace. In what is always a long season, this victory was crucial to stop the slump, especially after a worrisome first-half showing in Croydon.

Before this game, United had won only once in their last 11 Premier League away matches—that was against Liverpool at Anfield last month. Amorim mentioned in the pre-match press talk that he wasn't sure why his team struggled away from home, but he emphasized that his players needed to close out games better.

Amorim left Patrick Dorgu out of the starting eleven, admitting he saw anxiety from the defender when he had the ball. Diogo Dalot took his place, but even Dalot hasn't been convincing at left wing-back this season.

Shea Lacey, 18, was the only attacking player on the bench. Kobbie Mainoo has played as a No. 10 at times, but Amorim has said he sees him mainly as a defensive midfielder. Before the game, only Arsenal (with six) had allowed fewer goals than Palace (nine) in the Premier League this season, and United had been toothless in attack against Everton earlier in the week.

Still, United had no excuse for not attacking on Sunday. Palace played against Strasbourg in France on Thursday, giving them just two days to prepare, unlike United's five days at Carrington. So, United came to Selhurst Park with a slight advantage.

Bryan Mbeumo patted Amad on the back as they headed back to the locker room before kickoff. Amad assisted Mbeumo against both Liverpool and Tottenham, making their link-up seem like a key factor again in this game. Though the pair were not at their best, United still clinched a win.

Dalot made a bigger impact in the first 30 seconds than Dorgu had in 58 minutes against Everton, launching a long throw into the box, but Casemiro failed to score from it.

The away fans sang '12 Days of Cantona' for two clear reasons: December was approaching fast, and the stadium was the site of Cantona’s infamous kung fu kick.

Amorim looked annoyed as Palace started creating chances. He paced the sideline, and the fourth official reminded him to stay in his coaching box. Soon after, Mbeumo got a yellow card for throwing the ball down in frustration.

Adam Wharton fired a shot right at Senne Lammens from just outside the box. Then Jean-Philippe Mateta missed an easy chance after Yoro’s mistake, and Yoro later blocked Yeremy Pino's shot. Yoro managed to recover after his earlier error that led to Mateta's opportunity.

Mateta kept causing trouble. He physically dominated Matthijs de Ligt and forced another mistake from Yoro, who fouled him unnecessarily in the box, giving away a clear penalty.

Mateta scored the penalty, but it was called back for a double touch. The rule that allows a retake after a failed penalty needs to be reconsidered. Anyway, Mateta made the second penalty.

"Boom, boom, Mateta's in the room" was chanted to the tune of the Vengaboys song twice in a row. This should have pushed United to respond strongly, but instead, they walked slowly off the field at halftime. Amad and Mbeumo weren't playing well, and United often struggle when those two don't perform.

Luke Shaw shook his head as the halftime whistle blew. Shaw, who has been at United for 11 years and was playing his 300th game for the club, played under five permanent managers during his time at Old Trafford. He might have been close to playing for another if United hadn't managed to turn things around. At least there won't be any big investigation on Monday morning.

Amorim made two halftime subs, and they paid off. Dalot played great, and Mason Mount scored a fantastic goal to put United up 2-1. It was a bold choice for Amorim to keep playing Joshua Zirkzee, but he proved right when the Dutchman scored a nice half-volley to bring the score level.

Zirkzee's shot had to be powerful to get past Dean Henderson—and it was. Since arriving from Bologna, Zirkzee hasn't always looked like a top striker, but if he can score more goals like that for United, he'll do just fine.

The Everton game was awful, and Amorim absolutely had to find a solution; in this game, he did.