Manchester United will send Sergio Reguilon back to Tottenham Hotspur after agreeing to shorten his season-long loan.
Reguilon signed a contract until the end of the season in the 2023 summer transfer window. United needed reinforcements at left-back after injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacio, and Reguilon was expendable at Spurs.
Although he made 12 appearances for United during that period, The Athletic reports that Reguilon will now return to Tottenham. United were going to trigger the mid-season loan termination clause anyway and have recently strengthened themselves with the return of Shaw to fitness, while Malacia is not far from a return either. Right-back Diogo Dalot and centre-forward Sofyan Amrabat have also been involved on the left when needed.
Before signing Reguilon, United also considered the transfer of Marco Cucurella from Chelsea, but could not reach an agreement with the Blues and he remained at Stamford Bridge.
Reguilon played a lot for Tottenham in pre-season under new coach Ange Postecoglou, but it was quickly clear that Destiny Udogie will be the starting left-back in the 2023/24 season.
Spurs could opt to keep Reguilon until the end of the season – just as United only compete in the Premier League and FA Cup – while the possibility of him going out on loan again remains if he does not feature for the first team this month. FIFA rules state that players can only play for two clubs in a season.
Tottenham will play their next game on Friday when they host Burnley in the FA Cup third round and will return to the Premier League on Sunday 14 January when they host United.