Manchester United officially announces the sale of their third player this winter transfer window! The unlucky young talent is loaned out for a week but returns with a serious injury, having previously been criticized by Amorin.

Manchester United announced on Saturday that 22-year-old English center-back Rhys Bennett has permanently moved to League Two’s Fleetwood Town, awaiting registration confirmation to play. Bennett joined United at age six, captained the 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning U18 squad, scoring in the final, but failed to advance to the senior team. Last season, he was loaned to Fleetwood and played 35 matches; he now signs permanently for two and a half years. Bennett becomes the third academy player sold by the Red Devils this winter, alongside winger Sam Mather and striker Joe Hughes.

Fleetwood Town is a lower-mid-table League Two club, with no realistic promotion hopes but safe from relegation, currently sitting 15th. Their nickname is the "Cod Army," and their home ground is famously called Highbury Stadium! Bennett’s transfer fee is essentially negligible, but Manchester United retains sell-on and buy-back clauses, similar to other departing academy players.

Manchester United’s official statement read: "Ahead of the transfer deadline next Monday, an agreement has been reached with this League Two club. We thank Rhys for all his efforts while representing Manchester United and wish him every success in the League Two competition. Good luck, and we will be following your career closely."

Bennett suffered the tragic loss of his father David’s unexpected suicide last October. During Christmas, he spoke about mental health and suicide prevention in an interview with Manchester United’s MUTV. At Fleetwood, he will reunite with a familiar teammate, 21-year-old Red Devils forward Ethan Ennis, who joined on loan last summer, making 29 appearances with 6 goals and 3 assists.

After his transfer, Bennett said: "I have spent 16 years at Manchester United, and they have supported me at every step of my development. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me both on and off the pitch. I have a good relationship with Ethan Ennis; he is a great player and a good person. I look forward to playing alongside him again."

Recently, the Red Devils loaned academy left-back Harry Arter to Championship side Norwich City, but he faced a nightmare scenario—after just one week at his new club, he suffered a serious injury and had to return to Manchester United for treatment. The 18-year-old English left-back debuted on Monday against league leaders Coventry, helping secure a win. Unfortunately, he sustained a severe injury during midweek training and missed Norwich’s Championship match against Middlesbrough.

Norwich manager Phillip Clement confirmed that Arter was injured in training and that they will negotiate with Manchester United to decide his next steps. "Harry was hurt near the end of training; it looks serious. There is no official diagnosis yet, but he will definitely be out for a long time," Clement said.

As usual, Manchester United typically recall such players to Carrington for treatment by their medical team. Many fear that Arter’s promising "canary" career might be over.

Arter has had a tough time around the turn of the year. Former Manchester United coach Ruben Amorin publicly questioned his abilities. After Arter posted a photo of himself receiving Sheffield Wednesday’s Player of the Month award on social media, Amorin criticized him for responding online instead of addressing the issue face-to-face.

In the first half of the season, Arter was loaned to struggling Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, where he impressed by scoring 2 goals in 21 appearances and winning the club’s Player of the Month twice. However, due to Sheffield Wednesday’s financial troubles and two points deductions, the club’s points remain negative and relegation is certain. Manchester United recalled him and loaned him to the better-positioned Norwich, but unfortunately, he suffered a serious injury there.