With less than a month of the campaign remaining, a lot of the focus is already switching to the summer transfer window for Manchester United.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, United are open to selling all but four members of their first-team squad, with only Andre Onana, Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund expected to be untouchable. To say a summer of change is in the offing is an understatement.
Following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority investment in February, the Ineos chief is not prepared to waste time in a bid to take United back to the top step of English football. However, his plan is already on the back foot as a result of the club failing to qualify for the Champions League for next season.
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Europe’s premier club competition brings huge financial perks. However, the best United can now hope for is participation in the Europa League.
It puts more pressure on United to generate income through player sales, although there could soon be a limit on what they can reinvest in the squad because of a proposed spending cap being voted for by the majority of Premier League clubs. United voted against the introduction of said cap and it will limit what Ratcliffe can spend on new signings.
It means United will have to be even more strategic in their planning. Several areas within the squad need addressing this summer and the additions of a centre-back, a central midfielder and a forward have been prioritised.
In addition to those three priorities, United, in an ideal world, need to add fresh blood elsewhere to strengthen the squad, both in terms of the starting line-up and the overall depth. Sufficient depth has been a problem for United in recent years, with the club lacking star-studded quality in reserve.
The biggest example is United’s lack of a back-up striker to provide support and competition for Hojlund. Anthony Martial is still on the books, but he has seen more of the treatment room than he has the pitch this season, meaning the addition of a new No.9 is paramount in the coming months, with Mason Greenwood also in danger of being shelved permanently once he returns from Getafe.
United, however, do remain well-stocked in the wide areas. Once Jadon Sancho and Facundo Pellistri return from their respective loans at Borussia Dortmund and Granada, United will have Marcus Rashford, Garnacho, Amad, Antony, Sancho and Pellistri all vying for two wide berths.
All of those players will believe they are worthy of starting week in, week out, whether that is at Old Trafford or elsewhere. However, Antony has flopped since arriving from Ajax, matchgoers are losing patience with Rashford, Amad cannot buy a start, Sancho has fallen out with the manager and Pellistri is unlikely to ever make the grade in United colours. Only Garnacho is guaranteed a long-term future in M16.
While many United fans would not lose sleep at the prospect of Antony, Rashford, Amad, Sancho and Pellistri all being sold this summer, the Reds are not going to cash in on all five of them in one window. It would be practically impossible to offload all of them and replace them sufficiently.
Pellistri and Amad are out of contract at the end of next season but do have plus-one options within their current contracts to keep them at the club until 2026. However, this summer is shaping up to be an important one in their careers and you could not blame them for leaving and starting afresh elsewhere.
Pellistri has given a solid account of himself in Spain and Amad has offered flashes of his quality. If those two depart and United retain Antony, Rashford, Sancho and Garnacho, there will be no need to explore the addition of another winger. But if Sancho, who is the most likely member of that quartet to be offloaded, does go, a replacement will be needed.
As for the centre of attack, Martial is expected to be released when his deal expires, leaving Hojlund as the only senior centre-forward on the club’s books. He desperately needs competition and support.
In conclusion, the most realistic situation concerning United’s attack ahead of this summer’s window is that Martial is released and replaced, and Amad, Pellistri, Sancho and Greenwood are all sold, with one winger coming in. A lot of United fans would probably also like to see Antony and Rashford go as well, but that is unlikely because of their contract status and the lack of a realistic market to sell them in.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
