When Manchester United assess their options to fill potentially tricky spots in their squad at right-back and in attack this January, there will be a simple choice available to them.
United are keen to add another forward to the squad after Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and if Aaron Wan-Bissaka leaves the club then Erik ten Hag will want another right-back as well.
The recruitment team will be able to come up with a shortlist for Erik ten Hag in each position but the question will be how attainable those players are midway through a season. It's possible to strengthen a squad in January, as Bruno Fernandes proved three years ago, but it's not easy.
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If it becomes difficult then the easy option is to look at players already on the books. Ethan Laird and Amad are both excelling on loan in the Championship and could be recalled to Old Trafford in January.
On the evidence of recent months, Laird will be a capable backup for Diogo Dalot and Amad could provide another option in the forward line. But to recall them is also a risk of halting their development at a time when they are thriving. It's an easy option, but not necessarily the right one.
United have four players on loan in the Championship this season and all of them are getting regular game time and impressing, aiding their own development as well. It would make sense for all of them to remain at their clubs.
Laird has started 19 of QPR's last 20 matches and even a change in manager at the West London club hasn't halted his momentum. The 21-year-old was excelling under Michael Beale but his departure to Glasgow Rangers and the arrival of Neil Critchley hasn't changed anything for the loanee.
Where Laird is concerned, United only have to look back to last season when they consider changing a player's situation in January. He was doing well for Swansea in the first half of the season but was recalled to be sent out to promotion-chasing Bournemouth. He started just four of 21 games for the Cherries. Now Laird has another successful loan spell going and it would make sense to complete a season with QPR, especially as they remain in the promotion picture.
Preston North End are also on the edge of the play-offs and left-back Alvaro Fernandez has played in 17 of the 19 Championship games he's been available for. The 19-year-old has played at left-back and more of a left-wing-back role but he has been praised by manager Ryan Lowe and his first taste of senior football is going well.
It's a similar situation for fellow 19-year-old Hannibal Mejbri, who has as many international caps for Tunisia as he has league appearances in his career. Seventeen of those 20 games have come at Birmingham City and since he moved to St Andrew's he's been involved in every league match the Blues have played. That's valuable exposure for a player that United had high hopes for.
They had even higher hopes for Amad, spending an initial £19million on the winger who had very little first-team exposure at Atalanta. The 20-year-old's development had stalled a little as a result of injury and a frustrating loan spell at Rangers, but he has suddenly found his feet at Sunderland.
His last eight league appearances have produced five goals and an assist and after initially being used as a sub, he is now a regular starter for the Black Cats and arguably their biggest attacking threat. There's no doubt Amad has the talent to make an impact at Old Trafford, but he is still a bit raw and completing a full season in the second tier would surely aid his development.
The fact United have placed four of their most promising youngsters at clubs in the Championship where they are playing regularly and thriving is a success story for those involved in the process, such as head of academy Nick Cox.
Picking a club for a loanee isn't as simple as agreeing to the first deal that comes to the table, or the most lucrative. It's a scientific process now and details such as whether the playing style fits the player is taken into account, as is the identity of the manager. There will certainly have been some relief that Beale was replaced by Critchley at QPR, another young manager who has a background in youth development.
Fernandez and Hannibal look certain to see the season out at Preston and Birmingham respectively, but for Laird and Amad there are decisions to be made and they will, to a degree, be influenced by events in the January transfer window.
Both could yet have careers at Old Trafford, but for the short term, their development is probably best served by spending a full season in the second tier.
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