Soccer

Manchester United set to listen to offers for most of their squad

Only Hojlund, Mainoo and Garnacho are understood to be off-limits

Pressure is mounting on manager Erik ten Hag
Pressure is mounting on manager Erik ten Hag (Martin Rickett/PA)

MANCHESTER United are preparing for a summer clear-out as they look to turn their fortunes around after yet another dismal season, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Only three players are said to be safe from the axe this coming summer transfer window; Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.

The remaining members of the squad will have to wait for the summer to learn their fate as there are differing levels of interest in the players from clubs.

Under fire Marcus Rashford could be shown the door

Marcus Rashford has been rumoured to be one of those players the club are willing to listen to offers for following his drop in form and reported ill-discipline this season, including being spotted on a night out in Belfast earlier this year.



Rashford (26) signed a new five-year contract worth £325,000 a week last July so could prove difficult to offload due to his high wage budget impact.

Rashford acknowledged the “abuse” that he has faced from the media and fans this season on social media.

The BBC reports that Manchester United want to work with Marcus Rashford to help him rediscover his form, but will let him go for the right offer.

PSG were meant to be kicking the tyres on the England forward as they look set to lose their main focal point in Kylian Mbappé, however, The i Newspaper has reported that the club have stepped away from that possibility.

United player and team problems

United are currently carrying some dead wood at the club, with Jadon Sancho on loan and performing at his former club Borussia Dortmund and Sofyan Amrabat disappointing at Old Trafford on his loan spell from Fiorentina, despite proving to be a surprise performer for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is pleading for patience from the fans
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is pleading for patience from the fans (Martin Rickett/PA)

The club will reportedly only part with the services of Bruno Fernandes for a big fee, despite the Portuguese midfielder only providing 17 goal contributions in the Premier League so far this season and 26 in all competitions for Manchester United over the same period.

Erik ten Hag himself is the subject of rumours of an exit with his former club Ajax struggling in the Eredivisie and could be looking to take back the manager that took them to the Champions League semi-final in 2019.

Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to change for the better post-takeover

New minority owner Jim Ratcliffe is looking to rebuild the club after more than a decade out of the title conversation.

After purchasing a 27.7 per cent take in Manchester United through his INEOS conglomerate, Ratcliffe knew that a massive overhaul was needed for the Red Devils.

Sir David Brailsford (left) and Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir David Brailsford (left) and Sir Jim Ratcliffe (Bradley Collyer/PA)

The difficult job ahead of him was highlighted by the 1-1 draw with Burnley last weekend, with the Clarets sitting in 19th and fighting for their Premier League status.

Latest transfer news

United are believed to be prioritising the recruitment of a striker, central midfielder and right-sided centre-half this summer, according to the Daily Telegraph, but need to raise money through player sales to boost what is otherwise expected to be a very small transfer budget.

Manchester United will essentially run a ‘sell-to-buy’ transfer model and have been linked to some high-profile stars as they hope to set their squad up to have a massive two seasons.

Florian Wirtz, left, challenges for the ball with France’s Ousmane Dembele (Laurent Cipriani/AP)
Florian Wirtz, left, challenges for the ball with France’s Ousmane Dembele (Laurent Cipriani/AP) (Laurent Cipriani/AP)

Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, of Bayer Leverkusen are said to be targets for United.

No European football games for Man Utd? big problems

The Premier League outfit now sit in sixth in the table, just one point ahead of Newcastle United, with their European status relying on upsetting Manchester City in the FA Cup final or holding their position in the table going into the last four games of the season.

This loss in revenue will prove to be a huge factor in the transfer business of the club as they look set to miss out on £55m if they miss out on Europe completely, which is still a possibility.

Dan Ashworth’s appointment would be a positive result for United

A massive plus for Manchester United would be the appointment of Dan Ashworth as sporting director, who is currently going through the process of taking Newcastle United through arbitration to force through a move to the club.

The former FA director of elite development has been on gardening leave since Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover when he expressed his wish to join Manchester United.