Paul Scholes has given a brutal assessment of which players Manchester United should remove from their current squad.
With the exception of perhaps one or two stars, the future of the entire Red Devils squad is uncertain as the club tries to explore their new world under Ruben Amorim.
Furthermore, United's co-owners Ineos have made no secret of their desire to cut costs in a bid to improve the club's financial position. With the January window still open for two weeks, there is expected to be a lot of activity at Old Trafford.
Scholes, who made 714 appearances for the club during his illustrious career, gave his views on which players he believes should be sidelined.
Many in the United dressing room will be relieved that he is not the decider, having dropped no fewer than eight players from a recent starting XI.
Perhaps his most surprising decision was to retain goalkeeper Andre Onana, who has been heavily criticized since his arrival last summer and was responsible for two of Brighton's goals in last weekend's 3-1 defeat.
“I think I would keep him,” he told TNT Sports. “I still think there's more to come from him, but for now I'm keeping him.”
Scholes was not as forgiving when it came to the summer signing of Matthijs de Ligt, nor was Lisandro Martinez. For the Englishmen Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, their injury problems played a role in Scholes' decision.
'I really like the player, he's just never fit. To sell.' Scholes said of the full-back, who has made just three appearances this season.
However, the former England international was adamant that United should keep away two of their young stars, who have been linked with transfers, as the club tries to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Homegrown players are worth 100 percent profit on a club's balance sheet, and United are reluctantly willing to listen to offers for Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho. Mail Sport exclusively reported earlier this month that Chelsea are leading the race for the England star if he leaves.
Scholes has been vocal about his opposition to the move, telling TNT Sports last week that he thinks it is a 'ridiculous' decision.
“It would be absolutely ridiculous if the club had to sell him,” he said. 'All the hard work the club has had to do, he's been here for seven or eight years, Mainoo, and then you have to sell him because of the PSR rules? It's ridiculous.
'He is United's brightest spark, the leading man who could be here for the next five to 10 years.'
Naturally, the former midfielder echoed that sentiment and said the 19-year-old should stay. Garnacho, who was dropped for the Manchester derby by manager Ruben Amorim last month and has struggled to regain his place since, narrowly missed out on Scholes' squad.
No such kindness was extended to Antony, Joshua Zirkzee, Casemiro or Marcus Rashford, who looks increasingly likely to remain at the club this month despite attempts by both club and player to end their unhappy marriage.
Rashford's representatives spoke to Barcelona director Deco on Tuesday as the Catalans compete with Borussia Dortmund to sign him on loan until the end of the season.
Mail Sport reported earlier this month that Barcelona have held meetings with Rashford's entourage, with several European clubs monitoring the forward.
It is believed that Barcelona have always preferred Rashford, but given his £350,000-a-week wages they would have to negotiate the financial burden of a loan deal.
And further discussions have now taken place between Rashford's representatives and officials from the Catalan club, including sporting director Deco.
The talks took place in Lisbon, with Barcelona playing Benfica in the Champions League in the Portuguese city on Tuesday evening.
However, the club acknowledged that their pursuit is currently stalled as they do not have the salary cap space required to sign Rashford if they were able to complete a deal with Man United.
Barcelona are reportedly hopeful they can offload Eric Garcia to ease their financial constraints, while Ansu Fati could also leave to free up space for Rashford, who is seen as his replacement.
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