Erik ten Hag has already proven he is more than capable of making ruthless decisions while at the helm of Manchester United, as five Red Devils found out earlier this season.
The Dutchman axed five players from the club's first-team dressing room in order to accommodate new signings that arrived in the summer, with club veterans like Phil Jones even getting the boot. Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony all joined in the summer, while Martin Dubravka came in on loan but has since returned to Newcastle.
Due to the influx of new arrivals, United's first-team dressing room at their Carrington training base was left packed to the rafters and Ten Hag was forced to make a decision. As per The Sun, the AON Training Centre's first-team changing room is only able to accommodate a maximum of 24 players, which meant a cull was in order.
Ten Hag acted swiftly, removing five from the first-team fold. That included Jones, a fully-fledged England international who has seen the second-half of his career wrecked by injuries.
Brandon Williams, a former loanee at Norwich City, was also sacrificed, alongside defenders Axel Tuanzebe and Tegen Mendi. Young midfielder Shola Shoretire met the same fate, with all five demoted to the reserve set-up.
During Ten Hag's first summer transfer window, all three of Jones, Williams and Tuanzebe were expected to leave but the United boss ended up keeping the trio despite the fact their paths to the first-team were clearly blocked.
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Things have changed since then however, with two of the aforementioned five having responded to their exile by leaving the Red Devils.
Axel Tuanzebe has since joined Championship side Stoke City on loan for the remainder of the season on a deadline day deal, while Shola Shoretire has also put pen to paper on a temporary deal with League One outfit Bolton Wanderers mid-way through the January transfer window.
Jones, Williams and Mendi remain at United and will do for the remainder of the season having seen the January window pass them by without a move.
Ten Hag recently discussed Jones' and the defender's omission from United's official squad list, telling reporters: "For the whole season he's injured. I can't say [if Jones will play again this season].
"What I can say is that he's not available for training since the first day of training this season so I think there's not an opportunity for you to recover quickly and be available quickly."
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