The end of the season is on the horizon for Manchester United, although for some it's been over for a while.
United end what has been a disastrous campaign on Sunday as they make the trip to Crystal Palace for the final game. United head to Selhurst Park knowing they may still need a win to secure a place in the Europa League, with West Ham lurking just two points behind and threatening to knock them down into the Europa Conference League.
For the players who feature in this weekend’s final outing, it may be an opportunity to catch the eye of incoming manager Erik ten Hag. For others, that opportunity has long passed – here’s a look at the 12 players who may have already played their last game for United.
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Lee Grant
Grant was never brought to United to challenge for the number one spot, so the fact that he’s made any appearances for the club is something of a surprise. The 39-year-old’s contract expires in the summer after four years with the club.
The former Stoke goalkeeper has played just twice for the first team in his spell at Old Trafford, with the latter of those appearances coming in the defeat to Astana in the Europa League in 2019. It’s pretty safe to assume he won’t feature at Palace on Sunday.
Dean Henderson
Henderson looks set for a move to the north east this summer, with the 25-year-old closing in on a move to Newcastle. Having missed out on a loan move to St James’ Park in January, the academy graduate looks as though he’ll finally get his wish to gain some valuable game time next season.
Discussions have been held over a season-long loan, although a permanent transfer is not out of the question. If that turns out to be the case, Henderson’s final outing would have been the FA Cup fourth round defeat to Middlesbrough back in February.
Eric Bailly
Bailly has become so desperate for game time this season, he’s resorted to replying to fans’ comments asking him to play on social media. It’s been a frustrating few months for the Ivorian, who hasn’t featured once for United since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
The 28-year-old is understood to have already told his teammates of his intentions to leave this summer. His final appearance looks to have been in the 3-1 win over Burnley in December, in which he came off injured just after the hour mark, somewhat summing up his United career.
Phil Jones
Jones’ comeback looks to have been a brief one. Having made a surprise return against Wolves in January, the 30-year-old has gone on to make just four more appearances, including that ill-fated start against Liverpool at Anfield. He may have at least gone out on a high, with his final appearance looking to have come in the win over Brentford earlier this month.
Paul Pogba
He’s likely played his last game for United, but we’re far from having heard the last of Pogba. There’s certain to be endless speculation over his next destination as we move into the summer, with Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all having been linked.
The midfielder’s second spell at Old Trafford failed to live up to the hype, so much so that many fans are now just eager to see the back of him. His final game certainly won’t be remembered fondly, having made way less than 10 minutes into the 4-0 defeat to Liverpool last month.
Juan Mata
There is every chance Mata could feature at Palace on Sunday, although after the mauling at Brighton a fortnight ago, he may have dropped down the pecking order once again. The 34-year-old has become a peripheral figure at United this season.
His recent performance in the 3-0 win over Brentford suggested he maybe should have been afforded more opportunities this season, particularly given United’s problems in midfield. The 4-0 defeat to the Seagulls a week later perhaps proved it was more of a false dawn.
Jesse Lingard
There have been more graceful departures in football. Lingard’s long association with United looks set to end on the sourest note, with family members hitting out at the club for the manner in which he’ll be leaving.
The 29-year-old didn’t get the send-off he’d hoped for at Old Trafford. Instead, his final appearance looks to have been the 3-1 defeat away at Arsenal, which effectively ended United’s top four hopes, and will no doubt leave a bitter taste for the England international.
Andreas Pereira
Where Pereira will end up next season is anyone’s guess. The midfielder’s hopes of securing a permanent move to Flamengo at the end of his loan spell look to be hanging by a thread, having fallen out of favour with the Brazilian club after his high-profile mistake in the Copa Libertadores final.
If the move does fall, then he does have a year remaining at United, although he almost certainly has no future at Old Trafford. You have to go back to August 2020 for his last appearance for the club, having played in the delayed second leg of the Europa League last-16 tie against Austrian side LASK which saw United ease through 7-1 on aggregate.
Nemanja Matic
Matic has a good chance of playing on Sunday, although we already know for certain he’ll be leaving the club.
Having mostly been a backup to Fred and Scott McTominay for the first half of the season, Matic has re-emerged and shown himself to arguably still be United’s best option in midfield. His inability to play regularly has been an issue, and he might well hope to feature at Palace, if only not to have the defeat to Brighton as his final game for the club.
Donny van de Beek
Van de Beek’s future certainly looks uncertain. His loan to Everton has not worked out how anyone would have hoped, and it won’t have done him many favours back at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag’s arrival may well offer him a lifeline, but with United targeting new midfielders this summer, they may face a difficult decision on the 25-year-old. With three years left on his deal, chances are he will stay, but if the club choose to cash in, his final outing will have been rather typical of his time at the club, having come on in the final minute against Aston Villa in January.
Anthony Martial
Martial cut a deeply unhappy figure at Old Trafford before getting his loan move to Sevilla. Since then, things still haven’t gone to plan.
Just two goals in 23 appearances for both clubs this season tells you a lot about the sort of form the French forward is in. It’s highly likely United will look to offload him this summer, although he did at least play his part in his last appearance for the club, setting Edinson Cavani away to bag the assist for Marcus Rashford’s winner against West Ham in January.
Edinson Cavani
Speaking of Cavani, the Uruguay international is one of the select players whose contract runs out this summer. He could well play against Palace, although, given his record at United, he could just as likely pull out injured.
Most fans will probably have been surprised to see him at all in recent games, but his final appearance could prove to be that defeat at Brighton. The 35-year-old will go down as another example of United’s flawed approach in the transfer market in recent years.
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