PREMIER LEAGUE
Which players will leave Manchester United this summer?
Up to twelve players could leave Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag clears out his squad to prepare for the 23/24 season.
The Manchester United project is well underway. Erik ten Hag’s arrival has become something of a turning point in the recent history of the side; with the Dutch coach at the helm, the side have reached two cup finals, won the Carabao Cup and finished in the Champions League places in the league.
Evidently, the 2022/23 season has been one of success for the side, but football waits for nobody and now the club are fully focussed on what they can do to improve things for the fast-approaching 23/24 campaign. And it seems as though the fight for the Premier League and the European trophies are next on ten Hag’s to-do list. Before planning the open top bus parade for the trophies won next season, he needs to get rid of players right now: but which ones?
Which players will leave Manchester United?
The football targets that Erik ten Hag has set for the 23/24 season were completely unattainable in the campaign that has just ended: Manchester United’s starting XI is full of top level players but the depth of the squad is questionable when talking about competing with England’s best teams.
They made the Champions League places in the final match days of the season, which was a huge success. But they failed in Europe, losing to Sevilla, the eventual winners of the tournament (who else?) when some of their stars were not available, exposing the weaknesses below the thin surface.
Players like Rashford, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are simply undroppable, but the task for whoever is in charge at boardroom level over the course of the summer is to lift the floor level of the squad as a whole, shortening the gaping gap between Plan A and Plan B.
Up to twelve players could leave the club
The first thing to do is make wiggle room of Erik ten Hag to mould his squad the way he sees fit. In order for targets like Harry Kane and Declan Rice to be, well, targeted, Manchester United must first get rid of players they do not see as useful for the 23/24 season.
So, take a deep breath, here we go: Wout Weghorst, Marcel Sabitzer and Jack Butland all finish their contracts this summer, while Jadon Sancho, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay all have their futures in red up in the air, and could leave the club. That’s already some list, but there are more.
We now have to add the name of David De Gea to the list, a player who is yet to sign another deal at the club and whose current contract expires on June 30. Harry Maguire is another: the centre-back, one of the team captains, has been left on the bench plenty of times by ten Hag. Phil Jones announced that he will leave the club on a free transfer and the same thing will likely happen with Axel Tuanzebe and Tom Heaton. Up to twelve players could end up walking away (or be sent away) from Old Trafford this summer. The red revolution is underway.
