Want to leave, Manchester United ban transfer of Kobe Manu and Joshua Zikze until January 2026

There is bad news for Kobe Manu and Joshua Chirkzee. Manchester United will reportedly not allow either player to move on until January 2026.

Baik Manu and Chikeqi are currently in a difficult situation. They were more likely to sit on Manchester United's bench and get very limited game time.

On the other hand, both players need playing time to participate in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. Therefore, they plan to leave Manchester United on loan in the winter transfer window.

However, according to the Manchester Evening News, Kobe Manu and Joshua Chirkzee may have internal competition. Because Manchester United decided to block the transfer of these two players in January.

See details below.

Shortage of personnel

According to the report, Manchester United will not allow these two players to transfer in the winter. The reason is that Manchester United's midfielder and forward reserves themselves are relatively weak.

This situation will be exacerbated by the African Cup of Nations, which will be held from the end of December 2025 to January 2026. Some Manchester United players, such as Amad Diallo, Brian Mbemu and Nussal Mazraoui, are likely to be called up by their respective national teams.

Since their player reserves are very limited and their financial situation is not sufficient to find replacements, Manchester United will retain Manu and Zekeqi until next winter.

Give Game Time

According to the same report, United understand that both players need playing time. They are ready to give Zakzi and Manu more opportunities in the near future.

England's match schedule will be very tight next month in December. This period will last until January 2026, as the FA Cup has already begun.

So Manchester United has a lot of games to play, and these two players will get more playing time, so they have enough time to prepare to participate in the 2026 World Cup.

Next game

This weekend, Manchester United will play away from home. The Red Devils will face Nottingham Forest in the 10th round of the 2025/2026 Premier League season.

Kobe Manu is likely to get playing time in this game, although they are more likely to be used as substitutes.