Manchester United's desire to add some talent to the midfield in January is no secret, and Ralf Rangnick seems ready to make a move when the transfer window opens. Despite frequent links to West Ham starlet Declan Rice, who would fill a valuable need in as a holding midfield option, the English giants may turn their sights towards Germany for their solution in the midfield.

According to Samuel Luckhurst, one name that has come up in United's search for a holding midfielder is Red Bull Leipzig's Amadou Haidara.

The link to Haidara makes a ton of sense considering the players' history with Rangnick. Haidara is one of many quality players to have come up through the Red Bull ranks, having made the move from Red Bull Salzburg to Leipzig in 2018. Rangnick previously spent the better part of a decade working as sporting director of the Red Bull group, so the ties to Haidara are present and strong.

Last season for RB Leipzig, Haidara featured in 31 Bundesliga matches, starting 21. He scored three goals and provided one assist while effectively commanding the midfield for the German squad. This year he's started in 10 games and featured in a total of 13 in league competition. He has two goals on the season, though Leipzig have struggled and see themselves in 10th in the league.

The issue in signing Haidara in January, however, stems from the fact that the Mali international will be on international duty at the Africans Nations Cup in January, which could prevent him from signing a deal with Manchester United.

As it stands, Manchester United's top options for holding midfielders include Scott McTominay, Fred, and Nemanja Matic, all of whom have been inconsistent in 2021-22.