Manchester United are showing plenty of signs of improvement under Erik ten Hag, but the Dutchman is already planning major changes to his squad this summer.
United splurged £220million before the 2022/23 campaign began to bring in Antony, Casemiro, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez. They simply cannot afford to do something similar in the upcoming off-season, with £307m in transfer fees still owed and UEFA’s new Financial Stability rules on the horizon.
Ten Hag knows the financial restrictions the club are working under, with the loan move for Wout Weghorst a clear reminder in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. The Dutchman’s desire to sign a world-class striker and midfielder this summer will require some sales.
The likes of Harry Kane, Benjamin Sesko or Victor Osimhen and Frenkie de Jong or Jude Bellingham are not going to come cheap. Here are the players United may choose to cash in on in order to fund the arrivals Ten Hag wants.
Harry Maguire
The first and most obvious player who could head to the exit is the club captain. Maguire has been sidelined this season, starting just four Premier League games.
Ten Hag’s decision to start Luke Shaw ahead of Maguire at centre-back since the World Cup highlights the extent of the England defender’s problem. He is determined to stay and win back his place, but could that change over the rest of the season?
United have two World Cup winners in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, as well as Victor Lindelof in reserve. Maguire cost £80m from Leicester in 2019 and is under contract until June 2025, while United have the option of another year. How much would the 29-year-old be worth on the market?
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Diogo Dalot has established himself as United’s first-choice right-back ahead of Wan-Bissaka this season. While the 25-year-old has worked his way back into Ten Hag’s thoughts recently, his future remains uncertain.
Wan-Bissaka cost £50m from Crystal Palace in July 2019 and retains value, which could prove useful to United.
Fred
Another player who cost United a lot of money and who could be sold to fund new transfers, the Brazilian midfielder has been a regular for the club over the past few years, but doubts remain over his consistency.
With Casemiro establishing himself as the undisputed first choice in holding midfield, could his compatriot be moved on? Fred is under contract until June 2024, meaning a decision will have to be made soon.
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Donny van de Beek
"On the long term it is looking really good, he will be back for the start of pre-season," Ten Hag said of Van de Beek on Friday. "The rest of the season he is out."
Van de Beek’s season has been ended by a knee injury – and it would therefore seem he is set to stay with United ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with teams unlikely to buy a player returning from a long-term injury. But United would no doubt consider bids were they to come in. The Dutch midfielder’s £35m move from Ajax in 2020 has not worked out at all.
Phil Jones
Jones is still at United, but is approaching the end, with his contract set to expire in June. If United can find a taker in January, then getting his wages off the books could be a useful step to take before the summer.
Scott McTominay
The arrivals of Casemiro and Eriksen in the summer shook up the United midfield, which also lost the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard. Could that evolution continue this summer?
McTominay has struggled for regular game time this season and with De Jong and Bellingham targets for United, he may struggle even more next season. Will the Scotland international be happy in a back-up role? He is under contract until June 2025, with a further year an option, meaning he would command a decent fee. Newcastle have been linked with the 26-year-old.
Facundo Pellistri
Pellistri made his long-awaited debut in the 3-0 FA Cup win over Charlton on Tuesday after playing for Uruguay at the World Cup. The young winger has shown his frustration over the lack of opportunities at United before and could push for an exit should minutes not continue to come in the rest of this season.
With competition from Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Elanga, that may well prove to be the case.
