Man Utd scout Christos Mouzakitis but face competition from Arsenal

Manchester United will be looking to bolster their midfield options when the January transfer window opens.

The Red Devils’ official website names just five players in midfield in the squad for the 2025/26 season – Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo.

Mainoo has not started a single Premier League game for United this season, while Ugarte has only been chosen in the starting XI twice. Mason Mount has five starts to his name, with Fernandes and Casemiro the chosen duo for much of the campaign.

Should anything happen to either of them, manager Ruben Amorim would be forced to call upon the aforementioned players who are clearly not deemed to be worthy of being first choice under the Portuguese.

A number of players have already been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with the January transfer window opening in little more than a month’s time. One of those who has been linked is wonderkid Christos Mouzakitis.

Golden Boy

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The 18-year-old scooped the Golden Boy Web award after polling more than one million votes on Tuttosport to honour the best U21 players playing across Europe.

And according to reports in Greece, the interest from Manchester United in the Olympiacos midfielder is real.

The report in Sportal, as per Sport Witness, claims United have sent scouts to watch Mouzakitis on a number of occasions already. A number of other teams have also been credited with an interest – namely Arsenal in the Premier League and Napoli, AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Villarreal.

Despite his young age, Mouzakitis has already featured seven times for the Greece national team and would be a much cheaper option for United than other transfer targets.

The Red Devils have been linked with moves for the likes of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest and Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion, with both likely to cost in excess of £60million. Mouzakitis does not have the Premier League experience of those two, but could potentially be available for a fraction of the price, with reports of a £40million thought to be wide of the mark.

Mouzakitis made his breakthrough in the Olympiacos first team last season at the age of 17, having impressed at U17 and U19 levels. He became the third youngest player in Greek Super League history when making his debut and has not looked back since.

Olympiacos boss Jose Luis Mendilibar said after he scored his first senior goal: “He works hard, just like all the players do. Anyone in the squad has to put in the effort. But beyond effort, he has got the talent and quality that help him even more. We are happy every time he is in the starting lineup and contributes.

“Inspiration is a great feature for a footballer, but when you have skill, it turns inspiration into something meaningful.”