Manchester United are set to pull the plug on a loan deal in January after being left unhappy with how the move has played out. Erik ten Hag has been left short of options due to a mounting injury list and reports suggest they are about to recall one of their players from their temporary spell away from the club when the January transfer window opens in five weeks’ time.
United allowed young striker Charlie McNeill to join League One outfit Stevenage on loan until the end of the season in the summer transfer window, but the Red Devils are set to cut the deal short due to a lack of game time for the academy graduate.
McNeill has already made his first-team debut for the club after appearing as a substitute in the Europa League against Real Sociedad last season. The 20-year-old has been earmarked for a bright future at Old Trafford and was sent out on loan to gain regular first-team football.
However, it hasn’t quite worked out as well as it had been hoped for the youngster, who is now set to return to Old Trafford. The Manchester Evening News report McNeill will be recalled from his loan spell at Stevenage with a view to securing a move to another club in January.
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He has struggled to lock down a place in Steve Evans’ side, making just three appearances for the third-tier outfit since arriving in August, and United are understood to be displeased with the amount of playing time he has received.
McNeill scored on his debut appearance against Leyton Orient only a day after putting pen to paper with Stevenage, but his opportunities have been few and far between. In his previous loan spell with Newport County in League Two last season, he was given a bigger role and scored twice in 20 appearances, leading United youth coaches to believe he could cut it at a higher level.
But with Stevenage currently fourth and chasing back-to-back promotions, McNeill has barely been afforded any further chances to impress, and it is claimed a club insider said the move has ‘not gone as hoped’.
United’s loan contracts involving academy prospects all included a six-month break clause, allowing them to terminate the agreement with Stevenage. There may well be interest from League One and League Two clubs in January, with McNeill likely to be offered out on a six-month loan this time.
The striker was signed from rivals Manchester City in 2020 for a £750,000 fee and he has made an impression at Under-18s level, scoring 24 goals in 20 games in his first season.
He earned a promotion to United’s development squad in 2022-23 and found the net three times in five appearances in the EFL Trophy, although he found it tougher going in the Premier League 2, with one goal in 12 games in the U21 league.
