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Journalist Mike Keegan of the Manchester Evening News was told not to expect any incomings at Old Trafford on deadline day, and given the difficulty of completing a big money transfer, it certainly looks highly unlikely.
However, United surprised by springing into action on deadline day in the summer (who could forget that calamity?) and it's certainly plausible that David Moyes could be working on bringing in one or two of the players he's been checking out over Europe of late. Here's a few of the potential ins and outs:
Ins
All recent chatter has suggested that Toni Kroos leaving Bayern Munich is a very real possibility, and according to a German journalist he's in favour of a move to Old Trafford. David Moyes was in Germany to watch the Bavarians' match with Gladbach recently, and there's always the chance he was talking business with the attacking midfielder.
His preferred position is behind the striker, but with United's central midfield so poor at present, Kroos would certainly be an upgrade if played deeper.
İlkay Gündoğan
Another German next, in Borussia Dortmund's İlkay Gündoğan. United have been linked with the central midfielder for quite a while now, and Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has recently declared that they must see his "sale as an opportunity."
What Gündoğan lacks in dynamism when compared to Kroos, he makes up for in his defensive steel and creativity from deep. He'd be a great signing for United, and Dortmund won't be keen to lose yet another of their star players on a free transfer.
The only question mark is over Gündoğan's health, with the German having been out for most of the season with a back injury. Oh, and there's the small task of fending off interest from Real Madrid.
Arturo Vidal
Arturo Vidal is almost certainly the best midfielder in the world in his box-to-box role, and would probably be the ideal player that United could sign at the moment. However, it's unlikely that Juventus would part with the Chilean for anything other than an enormous fee, and if he was to arrive, it'd almost certainly be in the summer.
David Moyes was suggested to be in negotiations for Vidal after he visited Juventus' game with Cagliari a few weeks ago, though time will tell whether there was anything to such reports.
Luke Shaw
United reportedly had a £22.5 million bid for Southampton's young left-back Luke Shaw turned down last week, apparently beating Chelsea's offer by £1.5m. Left-back has been a real concern for United for a few seasons now, and with Patrice Evra enduring a disappointing campaign, it's no surprise that Moyes is looking for an upgrade.
Shaw is a brilliant prospect, with Chelsea supposedly seeing him as their long-term replacement for Ashley Cole. He'd be perfect for United, though it looks increasingly likely he's going to stay at St. Mary's at least until the end of the season.
That wouldn't be a disaster for United -- a central midfielder would improve the side overall vastly more than a new left-back -- but don't be surprised to see this one crop up again in a few months time.
Andros Townsend
No. Please, please no.
Outs
Nani
Nani has been linked with a move to Juventus umpteen times over the last few seasons, and coincidentally it's now their big Derby d'Italia rivals Inter Milan who are reportedly interested, as well as Tottenham Hotspur. Any departure would likely be only on loan, though Italian clubs have a penchant for ensuring there's a permanent clause in any temporary signings.
If any United player is going to leave on deadline day, it's probably going to be Nani.
Javier Hernández
Rumours of Chicharito's departure this January were pretty emphatically quashed by his agent yesterday, though there's always the chance that someone will still come in for him. Tottenham, Atlético Madrid and AS Monaco have all been cited as potential destinations for United's Mexican, though at the moment, it's hard to see him moving.
