Manchester United are preparing to send three of their young talents out on loan in the January transfer window. Diego Leon, Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi are all available for temporary moves. The Red Devils may be busy in the winter market as they brace themselves for player departures due to the African Cup of Nations, with Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad all set to leave. Despite potentially relying on their academy during this mid-season exodus, it seems that Heaven, Leon and Obi could still be shipped out.

The youthful trio have found first-team opportunities scarce under Ruben Amorim's management this season, and according to reports, they're now poised to further their development elsewhere on short-term deals. Leon, an 18-year-old full-back who joined United last summer from Cerro Porteno, has yet to make his competitive debut for the senior team and is linked with a move to Nice. This would provide him with a six-month stint of invaluable first-team experience.

"I'm really happy, I think every player dreams of this," Leon said to Versus prior to his switch to Old Trafford. "When you're a professional, you have to adapt quickly, it is a massive opportunity."

"Everyone thinks I'll go out on loan, but I don't have that mindset. I'm going to kill it in pre-season and within one or two games, I'll already be playing with them."

Heaven has secured more first-team opportunities since his switch from Arsenal, though his position is also set to come under scrutiny. The 19-year-old has demonstrated potential but has only accumulated 158 minutes of playing time this campaign.

Striker Obi, who likewise arrived from Arsenal, burst onto United's first-team scene last season following commanding performances in the youth set-up. Amorim has subsequently acknowledged he thrust the forward into action at an unsuitable moment.

Obi has been forced to make do with the club's under-21s this campaign, having featured eight times under Amorim last season. The striker hasn't featured since the final day clash against Fulham.

Amorim believes he failed to create the proper environment for Obi to flourish last term. "He played last year, but I think it was too soon," he said.

"We didn't have a team we could put a young kid of 16 into and him not struggle. He's one of the guys but he started too soon. Sometimes it's hard to deal with that, with the kids, because they think that 'I'm already here'. We need to be careful with that."