Cristiano Ronaldo is one of 15 Manchester United players who could exit the club before the start of the new season.
Ronaldo wants to leave United just one year after his return to Old Trafford and the 37-year-old is the only player who has not reported to the club’s pre-season training this month due to 'family reasons'. This means the Portuguese superstar is not involved in the 31-player squad for the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.
There has already been a significant exodus of players from United this year. Paul Pogba has joined Juventus after United confirmed his exit at the end of his contract before the club also said their goodbyes to Jesse Lingard. Spanish playmaker Juan Mata's exit at the end of his contract was then confirmed.
Nemanja Matic has departed too, joining Roma, while Edinson Cavani and Lee Grant – who has taken up a coaching role at Ipswich Town – have also left the first-team squad at United. Dean Henderson has joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal while Andreas Pereira has moved to Fulham on a permanent deal.
United's squad has been slimmed down significantly since last term but there are still multiple more outgoings likely, either on loans or permanent deals. Two absentees from the pre-season tour are indicative of this; Shola Shoretire and Alvaro Fernandez are among the club’s highest-rated Under-23 players with both players attracting loan interest from Championship clubs.
There are three established defenders at the club who the club will also listen to offers for this summer. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is no longer a first-team regular having been displaced by Diogo Dalot at right-back, while Eric Bailly and Phil Jones have also been made available to other clubs with Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof all ahead of them in the pecking order.
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There will also be speculation over the futures of Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellestri, who both joined the club on transfer deadline day of the summer transfer window in 2020 and have each returned from loan spells at Rangers and Alaves respectively. Neither are likely to be involved heavily in Erik ten Hag’s first-team plans this season.
Another quartet of players who have returned from loan deals are also likely to once again leave; Brandon Williams is back from Norwich but the signing of Tyrell Malacia has pushed him down the pecking order at United further, Teden Mengi and Tahith Chong will each be loaned out again after being at Birmingham, while Ethan Laird is also in demand having impressed at Swansea City and then Bournemouth.
Another trio of players on the pre-season tour are set to leave; goalkeepers Nathan Bishop and Matej Kovar are both available to other clubs alongside defender Will Fish, who was sent off in the 3-1 friendly victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
