Man Utd 'really happy' with this season's youth loans

 Under-21 coach Travis Binnion says Manchester United are delighted with how the majority of their loan deals have worked out over the first half of the season, as they assess how to approach the second.

Goalkeeper Radek Vitek and defender Harry Amass are both excelling in the Championship at Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively and look capable of making the step into United's first-team squad.

Toby Collyer's appearances at West Bromwich Albion have mostly come off the bench.

Midfielders Ethan Ennis and Dan Gore, plus England Under-20 striker Ethan Wheatley and defender Habeeb Ogunneye, have started a lot of games at Fleetwood, Rotherham, Northampton and Newport respectively, while Jack Moorhouse has made 15 appearances for League One Leyton Orient, eight of which have come from the bench.

England youth international goalkeeper Elyh Harrison started the season well at Shrewsbury but he has not played since September. The same is also true of defender Sonny Aljofree at Notts County.

Injury has kept striker Joe Hugill out for more than three months but the forward is hoping to be given the green light to resume contact training by United, which would offer the opportunity to push his claims back at Barnet.

Of the players who stayed at United for the first half of the season, Sam Mather, who came close to making a move to United Arab Emirates, is most likely to leave, while Gibraltar international James Scanlon and Victor Musa, who has been used sparingly by Binnion this season, could also go out.

Musa is presently sidelined after picking up an injury in training.

"Conversations are taking place," said Binnion. "It's been a really successful first half of the season and it's never going to be perfect with everyone playing every game, but we're all really happy with how the loans have done.

"We've got to reassess what's right for them in January and also, for the lads that are in the building, how do we get the next stage of their development right?"

United have National League Cup games at Solihull and Tamworth, plus Premier League International Cup fixtures against Anderlecht and Borussia Dortmund, before the season breaks before Christmas.

Binnion also said matches would be played behind closed doors against South African side Kaizer Chiefs and Arsenal.