The club's new overlords INEOS are planning a massive revamp of the squad in this summer – but who should they prioritise getting rid of?
Manchester United are close to bidding farewell to one of their worst ever seasons in the modern era but soon they will be looking towards their next big battle, the one that takes place in the transfer market.
After a harrowing campaign in which the Red Devils crashed out of the Champions League group stage and failed miserably to mount a challenge to finish in the top four, it has become glaringly obvious that several players are no longer up to the standards United should aim for.
And while standards had been allowed to slip by a board that often took its eye off the ball, the club's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleagues will not stand for it any longer. It was reported last week that United are ready to listen to offers for almost the entire squad, with only young stars Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo protected from the clear-out.
It is also believed that Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana are extremely unlikely to leave, but every other player, including Marcus Rashford, could potentially be up for sale.
Here are the players United should be prioritising getting rid of when the transfer window opens in June…
Getty Images10Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen was a transfer that made a lot of sense at the time, a technically adept and highly experienced player on a free transfer. He contributed a lot last season, even if he did tire in games and rarely lasted 90 minutes.
He has struggled much more in his second campaign at Old Trafford and despite remaining fit since the turn of the year, he has started just two games in all competitions since a concerning performance against Tottenham. The Dane has only one year left on his contract and even a free transfer would make sense, given how little Ten Hag has trusted him recently.
AdvertisementGetty 9Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Wan-Bissaka's time at United can roughly be summed up in three stages. At first he looked to be a costly mistake due to his £50m ($62m) transfer fee and the fact he contributed very little in an attacking sense. But then last year he rediscovered his knack for one-v-one defending and usurped Diogo Dalot as the team's first-choice right-back.
But this season Dalot has re-established himself as Ten Hag's best right-sided defender and Wan-Bissaka has looked increasingly vulnerable, almost costing United their place in the FA Cup final with a disastrous display against Coventry.
The club triggered his one-year contract extension clause in January and his new deal expires in 2025. It means United have one more chance to recover some of the money they spent on him and they need to take it.
Getty8Anthony Martial
The Frenchman has turned into a laughing stock in the last couple of years, incapable of staying fit for even a handful of games and often struggling to make any impact when he does play, except to rile the fans.
The good news for United is that this one takes care of itself, as Martial's contract with the club expires in June, bringing his at best disappointing and at worst exasperating time at the club to an end.
Getty Images7Sofyan Amrabat
Perhaps United should have realised that the Morocco international was not up to Premier League standard when they faced barely any competition to sign him and were able to negotiate a loan with Fiorentina. He has looked woefully off the pace in most games and Ten Hag has clearly noticed, starting him just once in all competitions in 2024.
United paid Fiorentina a loan fee of €10m (£8.5m), which includes a purchase option set at €25m (£21m). They would be fools to trigger it and at least this transfer can be written off as a mistake that only haunts them for one year, unlike some other players they tied down to long contracts.