It’s been a busy summer of incomings and outgoings at Manchester United but there’s still plenty of players that could leave Old Trafford before the end of August....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Erik ten Hag has already started shaping his new United squad with the signings of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez suggesting a move towards a more proactive and possession-based style of football.
It’s also been a summer of outgoings at Old Trafford. Fourteen players have left United at the time of writing, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani.
But, considering the disappointing nature of United’s 2021-22 season, the churn of players at Old Trafford is unlikely to stop before the start of the new campaign.
We’ve identified a further five players that could exit the club this summer, ranging from footballing legends to forgotten academy products.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo expressed his desire to leave United after their failure to qualify for the Champions League – but didn’t bank on clubs queuing up to reject his services.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel turned down the opportunity of signing the 37-year-old, while Bayern Munich have released two statements distancing themselves from Ronaldo.
“I love Cristiano Ronaldo, fantastic player but every club has a philosophy and I’m not sure if it would be the right signal for Bayern and Bundesliga if we signed him now,” Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn said in July 2022. “Such a move does not necessarily fit with our ideas.”
The player himself has rubbished talk of a return to Sporting Lisbon, but reports in Spain suggest Ronaldo could make a shock move to Atletico Madrid with Diego Simeone warming to the idea of signing him.
It’s either that or Saudi Arabia, Ronnie.
Phil Jones
He’s been at United long enough to earn a testimonial but we reckon Jones would prefer the opportunity of first-team football elsewhere.
The former England international has endured a difficult time during his 11-year stay at Old Trafford due to injuries and made just five appearances across all competitions last season.
Reports have emerged that former team-mate and new DC United manager Wayne Rooney is keen to take Jones to MLS.
Jones has a year remaining on his current contract and United would only demand a nominal fee for the defender whose weekly wage is said to be £100,000.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
One of Ralf Rangnick’s first moves as interim boss last season was to marginalise Wan-Bissaka and it seems Ten Hag has reached similar conclusions about the right-back; the new United manager has started Dalot as part of his first-choice team against both Liverpool and Melbourne in pre-season.
Wan-Bissaka replaced Dalot in the second half against Liverpool, but it was young Ethan Laird who got the nod in Melbourne.
It’s understood that United will listen to offers for Wan-Bissaka and could sign a new right-back before the transfer window closes. There were rumours of a return to Crystal Palace earlier this summer but nothing has materialised yet.
Still, Wan-Bissaka remains an excellent one-on-one defender so don’t rule out a loan move before the end of the window.
Eric Bailly
Bailly was the first signing made by Jose Mourinho in 2016 but the United centre-back has endured an erratic six years at Old Trafford.
While possessing many of the qualities required to become an elite centre-back, injuries and a penchant for unforced errors have seen the Ivory Coast international slide down the pecking order at United.
With the signing of Martinez, the Daily Mail has reported that United are willing to listen to offers for Bailly this summer.
Turkish sides Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are keen on signing the 28-year-old but Italian journalist Gianluca Vitale claims the player would prefer a move to Napoli instead.
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly puts his hands on his head during the game against Chelsea. Old Trafford, April 2019.
Having endured disastrous loan spells at Aston Villa and Napoli last term, Tuanzebe is now back on the market with United keen to offload the 24-year-old.
The defender had previously been tipped for a bright future by former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, especially after shining in a 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain nearly two years ago.
But injuries have seen his progress stall and a move away from Old Trafford would appear to suit all parties.
Turkish club Trabzonspor are eyeing up the United academy graduate, according to Turkish publication Fanatik, while Brighton have also registered an interest in Tunazebe.
While there have been no concrete moves yet, the player’s future likely lies away from United.
