Ruben Amorim has now been in charge of Manchester United for a month and already has a pretty good idea of which players he wants and which ones he should release.
Only a core of United's current squad is safe as Amorim looks to overhaul the playing staff, with some out of contract at the end of the season while others will be sold this summer. Here, Mirror Football looks at ten players United are looking to move this summer to raise money to rebuild the Amorim squad, including those who are out of contract and will not be offered an extension.
Marcus Rashford
United are open to offers for Rashford after another disappointing start to the season for a player once valued at £100m but for whom United will now be lucky to get £40m. After plundering a career-best 30 goals in the 2022-23 season, Rashford signed a new contract worth £300,000-a-week but has scored just eight last season and seven this season. Selling homegrown players represents pure profit on the balance sheet, with United now ready to cash in on Rashford.
Anthony
A complete flop, the £86 million United paid Ajax for the winger will go down as one of the most expensive mistakes in the history of English football, especially as the Red Devils were initially quoted around £35 million for the Brazilian. Off-the-field problems, a lack of consistency and a wary attitude have made Antony's signing a symbol of everything that has gone wrong at United over the past decade. huge loss.
Victor Lindelof
Lindelof, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was signed for £31 million by former United boss Jose Mourinho in 2017 and has been surplus to requirements for some time. He has fallen down the defensive pecking order at Old Trafford, while a recent spate of injuries has reduced his availability. The Swede has been limited to 58 minutes of Premier League football this season and will leave as a free agent at the end of the season. .
Christian Eriksen
Like Lindelof, Eriksen is out of contract at the end of this season and will be free to talk to other clubs from January 1. Although he started Amorim's first match, a 1–1 draw at Ipswich on 24 November, the midfielder has been an unused sub in three consecutive matches and did not feature at all in the other. Eriksen joined United as a free agent under former boss Erik ten Hag in 2022, bringing Eriksen's time at Old Trafford to an end.
Jonny Evans
The 36-year-old centre-back underlined his lasting value when he returned to United last season, ostensibly as cover, but ended up playing far more regularly than he or the club expected as injuries decimated the defense. It says everything about United's defensive shortcomings that Evans, the oldest outfield player in United's current squad, has arguably been their most reliable centre-back but is out of contract this summer and is on the verge of leaving.
Casemiro
It was a surprise when the former Real Madrid star and five-time Champions League winner did not leave this summer, after a disappointing second season at United, in which he failed to match the impact and influence of his first season after playing for £60m. He enjoyed a shock performance in United's 3-0 defeat at home to Liverpool this season, scoring two goals before coming on as a substitute at half-time. With an income of £350,000 a week, it is vital for United to sell him for a modest fee and take Casemiro off the wage bill.
Harry Maguire
This summer it looks like the England defender will finally make the move after six years at Old Trafford. Maguire was stripped of the captaincy in the summer of 2023, when Ten Hag handed the armband to Bruno Fernandes. Since then, Maguire has been the epitome of professionalism, demonstrating reliability when others were unavailable. Although the contract expires at the end of the season, United have an option to extend the contract for a further year, but they are likely to look to cash in on the £80m defender for around £15m.
Luke Shaw
Shaw's ongoing injury problems mean United are ready to cut losses at left-back and sign a replacement who can provide the durability and reliability that has eluded him in a decade at the club since joining for £27 million. When fully fit, Shaw is one of the most talented left-backs in Europe, with the added versatility of being able to play at left centre-half, in a back three that Amorim prefers. But his latest injury setback has underlined why United are willing to sell him, although finding a buyer for a player who cannot stay fit is likely to prove problematic.
Tyrell Malacia
Erik ten Hag's first appointment as United boss has had a nightmare. He missed all of last season after knee surgery and then suffered a series of related issues that delayed his comeback. Malacia made his long-awaited return in United's 3-2 win over Bodo Glimt late last month, but was well off the pace, guilty of conceding one of the goals and coming on at half-time. Another United will look to move on in the summer, for around half of the £13m they paid for him.
Tom Heaton
Goalkeeper Heaton returned to United in 2021, 11 years after first leaving the club, having failed to make a first-team appearance. He eventually made his United debut in December 2021, coming on as a substitute in a Champions League match against Young Boys. Having not featured this season or last, it is no surprise that United will let the 38-year-old go next summer when his contract expires.
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