Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is uneasy at the thought of letting players leave Manchester United following rumours Inter have expressed an interest in Ashley Young.
United lost 3-1 at home to bitter rivals Manchester City in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday, with the visitors outclassing Solskjaer's men for most of the match.
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Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez scored for the visitors before an Andreas Pereira own goal gave them a 3-0 lead at the interval, with Marcus Rashford's second-half effort proving to be nothing more than a consolation.
The defeat highlighted the glaring deficiencies in United's squad, with Jesse Lingard, Pereira, Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof coming in for criticism for their respective performances.
Shortly after the match, rumours began to emerge claiming Serie A leaders Inter are in advanced talks for Young, who has been used as a back-up option for the full-back positions over the past few seasons.
Despite the 34-year-old being out of contract at the end of the season, Solskjaer seemed reluctant to let Young leave this month.
"Tonight's not the time to talk about players leaving, because we need the players we have in the squad and we've got a few months left of this season," Solskjaer told reporters.
"You've got to ask Ash, to be fair. For me, it's about focusing on the next game and tonight [City]."
The Red Devils have been tipped to bring in extra reinforcements in the January window, with a number of high-profile players being linked with moves to Manchester.
As reported by Goal, the Red Devils have made enquiries about Wolves duo Ruben Neves and Raul Jimenez, while interest has also been revived in Sporting midfielder Bruno Fernandes .
Solskjaer added on the possibility of incoming transfers at Old Trafford in the winter market: "I've got the backing to do something, but if it isn't the right thing we won't do anything.”
United will now look ahead to a Premier League clash against Norwich City at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Solskjaer's side must win to stay within touch of fourth-place Chelsea, before focus shifts to an FA Cup third-round replay against Wolves four days later.