MEDICAL COMPLETED: Man United’s first summer transfer signing has just completed his medical to join the Reds
Man Utd still intend to spend heavily this summer in order to provide Ruben Amorim with a squad more suited to his formation and tactical demands.
But having missed out on UCL qualification and around £100m in extra revenue that would have provided, difficult decisions on player sales will be taken.
Bruno Fernandes is NOT expected to be among those United will consider selling. And thankfully for Man Utd, the captain also has no desire to leave despite his side’s continued struggles.
According to former Premier League striker, Chris Sutton, Fernandes is United’s “best player” and he is the first name on the list of stars who must be retained.
Writing for The Daily Mail, Sutton ran the rule over United’s squad in a game of keep or sell. The former frontman was ruthless in his assessment, naming no fewer than 12 stars Man Utd would be wise to offload.
The dozen players Sutton believes should be ousted are Victor Lindelof, Matthijs De Ligt, Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.
Many on that list are either on course to leave via free agency or are available for sale. Indeed, Lindelof, Evans and Eriksen are all out of contract at season’s end and won’t be offered new deals.
But perhaps the most surprising players listed are the three stars who Man Utd paid a combined £127.8m (add-ons included) to sign just last summer.
Nevertheless, Sutton offered his reasoning for why Man Utd should part ways with De Ligt, Ugarte and Zirkzee after just one season.
De Ligt – “If I had to choose between keeping him or Maguire, it’s a no contest. Doesn’t bring what’s required to the back line. Get rid.”
Ugarte – “Not impressed by him, not for a fee that could hit £50.8m. Could United recoup close to that? Well, that’s not my problem! Get rid.”
Zirkzee – “United want to get to the top of the Premier League and into the Champions League. Is Zirkzee a player who gets you there? Not for me, he isn’t. Get rid.”
What about Ruben Amorim?
Sutton concluded by deciding the fate of manager Ruben Amorim too. The Portuguese has publicly offered to walk away from Man Utd without receiving financial compensation if the club no longer believe he’s the right man for the job.
But in Sutton’s eyes, Amorim is not the problem and must only be judged when allowed to work with a squad more befitting his approach to the game.
“Amorim doesn’t adapt, and he says he never will,” wrote the pundit. “To make his time with United a success, he needs to be backed with players who suit his style.
“The issue is I don’t know how much they’ve got to spend. United are now penny pinchers and, besides, will big players want to go there? But I’d keep Amorim, as long as they help him.”
TEAMtalk has been informed Amorim has been left staggered at the scale of task he faces in making Man Utd challengers again.
However, we’ve also been told Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have no plans to sack their manager despite a truly ghoulish 2024/25 campaign.
