David de Gea or Dean Henderson
With a contract renewal for David de Gea inevitable if not advisable, that has to signal the end for Dean Henderson after 12 years at United. The club have kicked the goalkeeping can down the road year after year and antagonising Henderson again would be illogical.
Henderson is 26 now, an academy graduate, Premier League-proven and possibly the best English goalkeeper on ability. His groin injury, worse than initially expected, will affect his resale value unless he returns for the run-in to help Nottingham Forest stay in the Premier League.
Of all the possible departures, Henderson arguably has the highest value, though it would be a wrench for United to sell a goalkeeper they developed faultlessly through fulfilling loans from National League to Premier League. Henderson only stalled when he was managed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Also read: United players' full-time reactions show they know they blew it
As respectable a season as De Gea has had, change is required in goal. The decisive act would be to release him, disarm Henderson by giving him one season to show he is up to the job and, if he isn't, buy a goalkeeper next year.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Erik ten Hag is keen on recruiting the right-back Jeremie Frimpong, so room has to be made for the Bayer Leverkusen defender. Selling Wan-Bissaka or Diogo Dalot is almost the toss of a coin.
Dalot enjoyed an excellent first four months of the season when he was an ever-present in the United side and ousted Joao Cancelo from the Portugal team during the World Cup. He has not been the same player since he strained his hamstring in their quarter-final defeat to Morocco.
Wan-Bissaka has performed creditably in the last four months and his handling of Kaoru Mitoma in the FA Cup semi-final was more impressive than his neutering of Allan Saint-Maximin in the League Cup final. "AWB is ridiculously good at 1 v 1 defending. Probably the best in the world bar none," tweeted the Leicester talisman James Maddison. "So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him."
Wan-Bissaka also embarked on a spirited spring in the second half against Brighton yet Dalot is the more rounded right-back and Wan-Bissaka remains limited in the final third. In this era, United need forward-thinking full-backs and Wan-Bissaka is hardly a spring chicken at 25.
Having been unsellable last year, Wan-Bissaka's stock has increased and he would enhance the majority of Premier League defences.
Harry Maguire
Maguire had a good first season at United, a decent second, a nightmare third and a worse fourth. Eight months on from his demotion, he has not regained his place and likely never will as long as Ten Hag is the United manager.
United will have known when they parted with £80m for Maguire, 26 at the time he committed to a six-year contract, that there was no resale value. They would not have envisaged a selling scenario two-thirds of the way into that contract but many things in football are unforeseeable.
With the European Championship only 14 months away, Maguire can hardly risk a fringe role for an entire season ahead of an international tournament. Such is the grief Maguire has received from a faction of United's online following and the escapism he enjoys in the England camp would suggest he should seek a permanent escape route.
Eric Bailly
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Eric Bailly not hitting his appearance milestone. Had he done so, Marseille would be obliged to buy the haphazard centre half but Bailly seems certain to report back at Carrington in the summer.
United could have released Bailly as far back as 2020, had they not triggered the two-year extension in his contract. He could have been released last year had he not been rewarded with a new contract, the most senseless since Phil Jones’s renewal.
Bailly averaged fewer than 20 appearances per season out of his six with United. He has played 19 times for Marseille.
Brandon Williams
This season has been a write-off for the 22-year-old, unavailable through injury for the first three months and then afforded one cameo against Burnley in the League Cup. Williams, 22, has not started for United since May 2021 in what was an unfulfilling season when he too was mismanaged by Solskjaer.
He has possibly overachieved in making 50 appearances for United but an unhappy end to his season-long loan with Norwich and a significant injury that sidelined him for five months suggest he will be cheap on the market.
Alex Telles
Sevilla do not have an obligation to buy Telles, so incongruous in the United pre-season squad the left-back was played at centre-back.
Telles is out of contract next year and continues to be selected in the Brazil squad. Andreas Pereira is proof Brazil international status can inflate one’s value, though Telles is 30.
Donny van de Beek
When Van de Beek was mentioned to a colleague earlier this week, he admitted he had forgotten about him. Injury against Bournemouth on January 3 ruled the Dutchman out for the remainder of the season but Van de Beek’s reunion with Ten Hag, his old Ajax mentor, did nothing to suggest the 26-year-old will ever be United material.
In three years, Van de Beek has started four meaningful Premier League games for United. He is so peripheral his absence has not been remotely lamented.
Van de Beek’s knee injury and his underwhelming form before it make him a hard sell, possibly unsellable. Ajax, sticklers for Premier League rejects, are worth a call.
Scott McTominay or Fred
Ten Hag covets a dynamic young midfielder with a world-class ceiling. To finance a move, a midfielder will likely have to make way.
McTominay is the most sellable: 26, a United academy graduate with international pedigree who endeared himself to Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Ralf Rangnick and, to a lesser extent, Ten Hag. There is enough time on McTominay’s contract (a final expiration date of 2026) that maintains his resale value.
The caveat is McTominay is the only senior 20-something midfielder United have. Fred, 30, is out of contract next year and any interested clubs would be minded to hang fire for six more months and then see if a pre-contract agreement is doable.
As useful as McTominay is, if United receive an acceptable offer (£30m) they would be mindless to reject it.
Anthony Martial
United could end this season with their lowest goals tally since 2004-05 and they have a No.9 who does not live up to his number.
Martial has broken the 20-goal barrier in one of his eight seasons with United and he has not completed 90 minutes in the Premier League since January 2021. United are in the market for a new starting striker, Martial is out of contract next year and he crumbles when competition arrives.
At 27, Martial is still likely to attract potential suitors of reasonable repute but United will make a loss on the £58m they invested in Martial back in 2015.
Anthony Elanga
The only Ant(h)ony likely to be at United next season is the one without an 'h'. Elanga has not scored for United since February 22 2022 and he has started once in the last five months - against League One Charlton in the League Cup.
Another academy graduate with international experience and a faultless personality, Elanga is still only 21 and United need to be more proactive in making more money out of their dream factory.
Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe are out of contract and due to be released.
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