Report: Fulham Interested in January Move for Manchester United's Matteo Darmian

Fulham have reportedly shown interest in recruiting Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian in January.

According to Tutto Mercato Web's Andrea Losapio (h/t Sport Witness' Tom Coast), the Cottagers have expressed their interest "in recent days" and could try to sign him on loan with the possibility of making the move permanent at the end of the season.

Darmian signed for United in 2015 and played 39 times in his first season at the club, which was Louis van Gaal's last as manager. However, his game time has steadily decreased with each passing campaign.

This season, he has featured just twice for the Red Devils.

The most recent of the pair was in the 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace on November 24, and as the Press Association's Simon Peach noted, it was a long time coming after the first appearance:

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News put him among the Red Devils' better performers in that match, too:

However, that perhaps says as much about the levels his team-mates produced that day as it does about the showing he put in given what a disappointing team performance it was.

It's clear he has no future at United, so the sooner they offload him the better.

Darmian's time at Old Trafford has inspired little confidence, but he was an impressive player at Torino before he made the switch.

Fulham boss and compatriot Claudio Ranieri will hope to get him back to that form, and if he can, he'd be an asset to a side who are bottom of the Premier League table with the worst defensive record.

United would likely prefer to sell him in January rather than loan him out, but if the former is not a forthcoming option, the latter would at least get him off their books for the remainder of the campaign.