Manchester United are facing a summer of big changes, in which not only signings but also sales will be important as they rebuild the squad and make ends meet. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, there have been a number of departures, including players who have spent large amounts of money on the club, and a full-scale reorganization is expected.
One of the most striking cases is that of Marcus Rashford. Barcelona have an option to buy him for around $US26 million ($30,524), a figure the English club considers low for his current level. However, his future is not closed off and could depend on how the market progresses following the player’s clear position that he wants to remain at the Blaugrana. However, the ball is in the club’s court, and its position is different from the attacker’s court.
Carlos Enrique Casemiro, who joined in 2022 for around $60 million (approximately $80,132), will also leave, but his cycle with the Old Trafford team has already ended. His departure symbolizes the change of era the club is about to embark on, and it doesn’t leave money in the coffers.
In the attack, Rasmus Højlund is close to leaving the team after spending around 64 million ($86,74) and up to 72 million ($97,59) including add-ons. His transfer fee to Napoli will be around $50 million (approximately $6,777), reflecting United’s inability to recoup their initial investment. A similar situation occurred with Jadon Sancho, who was signed for around 72-73 million ($98-99) but failed to perform as expected and ended up leaving on a free transfer.
No one is safe: neither promises nor recent signatures
There is movement in other positions as well. Tyrell Malasia could leave due to physical issues, and the club will try to recoup some of the roughly $47 million it paid Andre Onana in 2023. In goal, players such as Radek Vitek and Altay Bindir could also leave in search of playing time.
Recent signings such as Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte are also not guaranteed their place as they have not performed convincingly despite their market value. The Uruguayan former PSG player has a market value of nearly 40 million euros (approximately $46.97). Finally, several young players from the youth academy could seek opportunities elsewhere, including Tyler Fredrickson, Toby Collier and Dan Gore, all of whom hope to continue in professional football.
As such, we expect a very active market at Old Trafford. Between the revenue, which will likely leave them with tens of millions of dollars, albeit mostly at a loss, and the new additions, the club wants to start a new era with a more competitive and balanced squad…with one more year to go.
A resurrection that never comes
The harsh reality for United today is clear. They have won the official title just six times in the past 10 years. It’s a small feat for a team that started the 21st century on solid footing, but they have slumped over the past decade, winning only two FA Cups, two EFL Cups, one Community Shield and one Europa League.
They have not won the Premier League in this period (their last title was in 2012-13). Since 2016, there have been a staggering nine managerial changes – Van Gaal, Mourinho, Carrick, Solskjær, Carrick, Rangnick, Ten Hag, Van Nistelrooy, Amorim and then Carrick again – almost one per season.
They’ve been shaky overall, but they’ll try to find balance again this summer.
