United Hold Firm on Transfers as Carrick Set for Crucial Squad Meeting

Manchester United have made their position crystal clear: they're not budging on Joshua Zirkzee just yet, though the club's transfer plans remain very much up in the air as we enter the business end of the January window.

Roma director of football Frederic Massara has confirmed that the Serie A outfit's hopes of landing the Dutch striker have hit the buffers. "Manchester United said no quite clearly a couple of weeks ago and they have not changed their minds," Massara stated, though the Italian club aren't entirely throwing in the towel. With a fortnight remaining in the transfer window, Roma are keeping their powder dry and eyeing other targets—including Donyell Malen from Aston Villa and Robinio Vaz from Marseille. "These are two strong players," Massara explained, "obviously one is a young talent with prospects, the other is an international who already has a name on the European stage."

At Old Trafford, meanwhile, there's rather more activity happening behind closed doors. Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Michael Carrick will be present at an internal meeting early this week where United's hierarchy will thrash out their transfer strategy. The interim manager won't be calling the shots—that honour remains with the club's decision-makers—but his voice will carry weight, particularly after an electric start to his spell in charge.

Carrick's credentials are hardly in doubt. Since taking over following Ruben Amorim's departure, he's overseen a stunning 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday, a result that's rather put the cat among the pigeons. Now comes the question: does he push for reinforcements in midfield or attack, or does United sit tight and save their big spending for the summer when a permanent manager is in place?

Romano suggests the club are genuinely undecided. "United will decide whether to pursue an opportunity in January, possibly in midfield or attack, or to keep the current squad until the summer," the transfer specialist noted. "At the moment everything is very quiet and the big investments are expected in the summer with a permanent manager in place."

The reality is that United have barely stirred in this window so far. No business done, no players shifted, just a club in transition trying to work out which way is up. With Roma and Juventus circling around Zirkzee and the window ticking away, expect some clarity to emerge from this week's meeting—though don't be surprised if United's answer remains a polite but firm "not yet."