Manchester United are in need of a massive overhaul of their squad regardless of who the next manager is. The Manchester Evening News understands that the club have interviewed Erik ten Hag, with the Dutch boss the fanbase's overwhelming favourite for the job.
If he is appointed the next manager of United, Ten Hag will have a lot of work to do to bring the squad up to scratch. While United have a talented group of players at their disposal, they don't have a good team and this is something Ten Hag will need to address.
The transfer market will be an important tool for United. Incomings will be vital but outgoings will also be key, and they could have accidentally created the perfect storm to usher in a rebuild.
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The current United squad has been assembled by five managers and asked to follow the tactics of six different bosses. At the bare minimum, most players in the squad have been coached by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick - two completely different managers stylistically. This has created a confused and disjointed style of play that Ten Hag would struggle to unpick without serious changes.
Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani are all out of contract this summer and they are among some of United's highest earners. This opens up not only a significant amount of wages to offer elsewhere but also space for another midfielder and striker.
Cavani has not been available for most of this season through injuries and this has severely limited United's options. This will have to change if Ten Hag is appointed as the striker is very important to the team's build-up in his footballing philosophy.
Summer also presents the opportunity for United to sell the players who no longer want to be at the club. Donny van de Beek may choose to stay if Ten Hag is appointed manager, given their prior relationship, but the likes of Anthony Martial, Eric Bailly and Dean Henderson could leave if they do not want to remain at Old Trafford.
And then there is the question of Cristiano Ronaldo. Will he stay or will he go? With only a limited number of years remaining in his career and United possibly out of the Champions League next season, it makes sense that the forward may consider his options, however, there aren't many clubs who can afford to sign him.
If he was to leave it would mean a massive change in the club's strategy and it would remove the pressure to capture instant success that Ronaldo brings. Ten Hag may improve United's fortunes but he is not going to change things overnight, and Ronaldo may not fancy the idea of being embroiled in a rebuild so late in his career.
There is a serious chance of a clean slate for whoever takes over at United. To give the club the best chance of getting a rebuild right, they cannot afford to let previous issues get in the way again.
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