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Ralf Rangnick has hinted that fringe players looking to leave Manchester United in January may have to stick around – especially in the goalkeeping department – but no decisions will be made yet.

After a somewhat lacklustre yet meaningless Champions League draw with Young Boys in midweek, United are back in domestic action on Saturday evening. They visit basement side Norwich City for a 5:30pm kick-off in the Premier League.

It is the next hurdle for Rangnick to overcome as he continues his Man Utd rebuild. He has a number of items on the agenda as he helps shape the club for a new era.

One of the main issues Rangnick will have to resolve is United’s goalkeeping situation. David De Gea has been a standout player this year, firmly establishing himself as number one.

In turn, though, that has led to Dean Henderson forming doubts about his own future. The academy graduate made just his second start of the season against Young Boys. He was taken off in the second half so veteran Tom Heaton could debut.

Henderson competed well with De Gea last season but a range of factors have made that harder this time around. Therefore, there have been rumours of him leaving in January.

But Rangnick has hinted that it will be important for United to keep as many strong options for the position as possible.

“We have quite a few top goalkeepers and we could also see that against Young Boys. Both goalkeepers did well that played,” he said at a press conference (transcribed by the MEN).

“With David De Gea we have a top goalkeeper as No.1, so this is the position that we have a minimum three if not four or five good goalkeepers and we will see what the situation will be like in the winter.

“There might be one or two of them wanting to go out on loan somewhere. But on the other hand, we have to keep in mind that we have three competitions in the next six months. FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League and we definitely need three top goalkeepers in order to make up for a player being injured or suspended.”

Rangnick patient over January plans

It is not just Henderson for whom that strategy will apply. Asked about United’s plans for the January transfer window, Rangnick said it was still too early to make judgements.

However, he is willing to hold discussions with players who could get more gametime elsewhere.

“I’ve got to know them better in this week, I saw most of them play in the two games and had three, four or five training sessions this week. But it’s still too early to speak about what might happen in the winter transfer window.

“If I look at the number of players we have, it’s still a big squad. We definitely do not have not enough players.

“We need to make sure that players want to stay here. If they see not getting enough game time here, it might make sense to speak individually with the players to see if a loan deal might make sense. But right now, it’s still too early to speak about that.”

READ MORE: Rangnick green light primes Man Utd for huge January impact; six deals touted

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