Manchester United could be willing to sell ‘seven players’ including a player who seemed ‘untouchable’ while Erik ten Hag was at the club.
2024 has been a year of ups and downs at Old Trafford. Aside from the FA Cup final victory against Manchester City in May, the United faithful have not had much to cheer about.
On Monday, Ruben Amorim watched on in disbelief when his side fell two goals behind within 19 minutes against Newcastle, as Alexander Isak and Joelinton got on the scoresheet in the 2-0 win that sent Eddie Howe’s side up to fifth while United remained in 14th just seven points away from Ipswich in the relegation zone.
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Heading into 2025, Amorim, 39, will no doubt want to improve his squad and the club’s fortunes.
In his first interview as head coach, he explained how getting the job was a “real honour”, but insisted he will “need time” to bring success to the Red Devils.
And he may have already got more than what he bargained for, having witnessed his side lose six of his 11 matches in charge – with defeats coming against Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Bournemouth, Wolves and most recently, Newcastle.
Despite the poor run of form, the Portuguese has shown that he is not the type of manager to shy away from big decisions, namely when he left Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of the 20-man matchday squad ahead of the 2-1 win against Manchester City.
Last night, he hooked Joshua Zirkzee after just 32 minutes to the bemusement of those gathered inside Old Trafford.
And he could yet be forced to make some huge calls in the coming transfer windows.
According to Mail Plus, up to seven players could exit the club. The report explains how United “would listen to offers for Rashford”- and are “keen” to see Casemiro leave, while Zirkzee has been linked with a potential loan move to Juventus.
Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof are both out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 season and are seemingly unlikely to be offered a new deal by the club. Also, Antony has been ‘offered’ a potential exit route away from United by Real Betis.
However, somewhat surprisingly, Garnacho is also mentioned in the Mail’s report and is described as “less of a natural fit” for Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, which puts equal emphasis on both attacking and defensive play for wing backs.
The report explains how United are “still unlikely” to sell the Argentine but may be open to “offers”.