When it comes to the art of selling players at the right time, Manchester United still have a lot to master.
The Reds, who will get their pre-season schedule under way when they face Leeds United in Oslo this afternoon, have a poor record when it comes to the challenge of shifting players. United are not a selling club and that's been evident in the way they've failed to clear the decks at various junctures in recent years.
Under Erik ten Hag, however, there are nuggets of evidence to suggest that is beginning to change, albeit very slowly. United have already banked transfer fees for two players this summer, allowing both Ethan Laird and Zidane Iqbal to depart on permanent deals.
Laird sealed a move to Birmingham City, sold for an initial fee of £750,000, while Iqbal joined FC Utrecht for just short of £1million. Neither of those fees are going to do anything to boost Ten Hag's chances of landing the targets he wants to add to his squad, but they provide encouragement that United's strategy is starting to change for the better.
Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN's Man United app packed with premium features? Click here.
READ MORE: United confirm 26-man squad for Leeds friendly
In terms of further expected departures this summer, United need to try and offload some of the fringe players clogging up the squad, such as Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, Brandon Williams and Donny van de Beek, all of who have no future at Old Trafford. But in the cases of Bailly, Telles and Van de Beek, United know only too well that they will be forced to accept huge losses on the fees they forked out to sign them.
When it comes to the club's younger players, particularly those who have emerged from the academy and fallen just short of making the grade at first-team level, United do have the potential to cash-in even if, in the grand scheme of things, the fees generated are small change. Laird and Iqbal were never likely to break into Ten Hag's plans, meaning it made sense for United to offload them in deals that included sell-on clauses.
Should they both impress at their new clubs, kick-on and begin to capture attention from others, United could be in line for a tidy cash injection or two later down the line. And they can repeat the trick again with Hannibal Mejbri.
The Tunisian, who joined United from AS Monaco in August 2019, has just returned to M16 following a season-long loan spell at Birmingham last term. The midfielder produced a string of polished performances at St Andrew's, racking up 41 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal.
Though his spell was not as glittering and attention-grabbing as Amad's was at Sunderland it was positive enough to attract the attention of German club Borussia Dortmund, who are interested in signing the 20-year-old. As reported by the Manchester Evening News last month, the Bundesliga outfit are willing to cough up a fee of around €15m, which would include performance-related add-ons.
On the face of it, the prospect of inheriting around £12.8m for a player that spent last season in the Championship is an enterprising option. Hannibal, who already has north of 20 caps for Tunisia, is unlikely to force his way into Ten Hag's first-team plans ahead of the forthcoming campaign, particularly when United are so well-stocked in the engine room.
If he was considered good enough to make the grade at United, he likely would have made more than just three appearances by this juncture. Iqbal was arguably United's breakout star of last summer's pre-season tour and failed to make a single appearance all season, meaning Hannibal faces an uphill struggle to get senior minutes at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag's decision to allow Iqbal an unexpected permanent departure provided proof he will only hand out opportunities to those who are good enough. There is a window of opportunity for Hannibal in pre-season, but he is highly unlikely to rise up the pecking order fast enough to become a first-team regular. With United in desperate need of funds, it would make sense for all parties to cash in and move on.
Follow the MEN's United coverage on TikTok and YouTube, and subscribe to the Manchester is Red podcast.
