Football League loan window: James Wilson and Sam Johnstone could both leave Manchester United

With several clubs still reeling from the impacts of a particularly frantic end to the most recent summer transfer sagas, today (9 September) marks the next available opportunity for young, disgruntled or simply out-of-favour footballers to find pastures new as the emergency loan window becomes active once again.

Remaining open until 25 November, this period provides the perfect opportunity for Football League outfits to sufficiently bolster their squads for the months ahead without the need to pay any exorbitant transfer fees. Deals can be struck for a maximum of 93 days, with extensions then becoming possible when the top clubs resume their business in January.

With that in mind, here IBTimes UK takes a look at five top-flight players who could be on the move over the coming days and weeks with all 25-man squads now finalised...

James Wilson

If the latest speculation is to be believed, then more than a dozen hopeful second-tier clubs are currently vying for the signature of Manchester United striker Wilson. The 19-year-old, who has already made 18 senior appearances for the Red Devils after being given his chance to impress during the caretaker reign of Ryan Giggs, has supposedly already attracted enquiries from 20 prospective suitors, according to the Mail, with promotion chasers Derby the latest to enter the race.

Wilson recently provided a timely reminder of his ability by scoring the winning goal on his England U21 debut against the United States at Deepdale, although it remains to be seen how content manager Louis van Gaal will be to see him leave given the summer exits of Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez. The high-profile arrival of Anthony Martial from Monaco could go a long way to sanctioning such an exit, although it would still represent something of a gamble.

Kyle Lafferty

Despite his struggles to establish a regular first-team berth at Norwich since his 2014 switch from Palermo, Lafferty is currently proving his worth and enhancing his reputation at international level. Only Bayern Munich duo Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller have scored more goals during Euro 2016 qualifying, with the Northern Ireland talisman currently level with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Artyom Dzyuba and Edin Dzeko on seven following his late equaliser against Hungary earlier in September.

Although the player, who spent the final half of last season in Turkey with Caykur Rizespor, is insistent that he is eager to prove his worth to manager Alex Neil and compete in the Premier League without taking the "easy option" of dropping down a division, the arrival of Dieumerci Mbokani on loan from Dynamo Kiev and the decision to keep both Lewis Grabban and Gary Hooper could see him depart Carrow Road on a temporary basis for the second time in the space of seven months.

Ryan Kent

Fresh from signing his first professional Liverpool contract in March and recovering from a back injury, academy stalwart Kent is reportedly being lined up to further his experience on loan in League One with Tony Mowbray's Coventry.

The 18-year-old winger is obviously seen as an ideal replacement for James Maddison, who faces up to three months on the sidelines after sustaining a serious ankle problem during the 2-1 defeat to Walsall in August.

Kent has yet to appear for the first team at Anfield but is clearly well regarded in the youth setup and was handed his non-competitive senior debut by manager Brendan Rodgers during a pre-season friendly against Brisbane Roar.

Yoan Gouffran

Like Wilson, Gouffran appears to be inviting interest from more than one Championship club at the time of writing.

Hull, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest are all said to be keen on the signature of the versatile yet frequently underwhelming French forward, who has yet to feature in the Premier League since Steve McClaren was appointed as successor to John Carver in June and whose only appearance during the 2015-16 campaign to date came in the 4-1 League Cup win over Northampton.

Sam Johnstone

With Sergio Romero having joined from Sampdoria this summer, David de Gea staying at Old Trafford following the collapse of his move to Real Madrid and Manchester United failing to offload Victor Valdes before the transfer deadline, first-team opportunities for Johnstone are likely to prove difficult to come by this season despite the fact that he was a regular during the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

The goalkeeper's agent has been publicly critical of Van Gaal for "holding back" his client by not using him at the start of the season despite the omission of De Gea, stressing he must be allowed to move elsewhere if he his not going to receive the necessary opportunities with his parent club.

Now 22, Johnstone has already had six loan spells during his senior career to date. None of those have come in the Championship, however, but his 22 appearances for Preston last term suggest he is more than ready to make that step.