The position United still cannot fix is left-back. Luke Shaw is injured again, Patrick Dorgu is unavailable, and the pursuit of Hall that broke down in the summer has been pulled back off the shelf. According to Sky Sports’ transfer paper round-up on Tuesday, citing the i newspaper, United are planning a January move for the Newcastle and England full-back as part of a “defensive overhaul”.

Hall’s stance has not shifted since the summer, Football Insider reports via Yahoo Sports: he still wants Old Trafford. The complication is that Newcastle have since tied him to a new long-term deal.

Truffert, 24, tied to Bournemouth until 2030

The second name is Adrien Truffert, the Bournemouth and France left-back whose recent form earned him a recall to the national team. The 24-year-old is under contract at the Vitality until 2030, Get French Football News reports, and United acknowledge internally that failing to sign a left-back over the summer was a mistake they want to correct in the next window.

Hall is said to be the priority. Truffert is the alternative, and United may face competition for his signature should they move, according to Get French Football News.

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Martinez tied to a summer departure

The defensive rebuild is not only about who comes in. Lisandro Martinez, out again with another injury, could be heading for the exit next summer according to the Daily Mail, in a sign that Michael Carrick wants to redesign the back line rather than patch it. The Argentine is one of seven senior players unavailable for United’s Champions League tie against Como.

Carrick: ‘I don’t need any reassurance’

The urgency is being set by the results. United have won two of their 10 games in all competitions, were knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton last month, and were comfortably beaten by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last week, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday. It is the club’s worst start to an English top-flight campaign in 40 years.

Carrick, pressed on his position before the Como match, pushed back on the idea that he needs backing from above.

“I don’t need any reassurance. It’s pretty clear,” he said.

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“I know the role, I know the responsibilities. I don’t need anyone else to kind of tell me that or tell me when it’s going well or when it needs to be better. I know that myself.”

Next up is Como in the Champions League, with Carrick missing Martinez, Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Benjamin Sesko, Dorgu and Ayden Heaven.

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