Manchester United announce Youri Tielemans. (Image: Getty Images)
Premier League rules impact on Manchester United, meaning they will be restricted from making further additions unless members of Michael Carrick’s squad leave. The Red Devils do not have to hand in their 25-man squad this month and plan to sell players before that deadline, but concerns could start to creep in at Old Trafford.
Andrej Santos and Youri Tielemans have already arrived for big money from Chelsea and Aston Villa respectively, while goalkeeper Karl Darlow has been brought in as cover between the posts. Youngster Tynan Thompson also joined from Tottenham this week. United, like all top clubs, must include eight homegrown players in their squad next season. The remaining 17 spots can be filled by non-local players, but players under the age of 21 are exempt from those spots.
This age criterion means that some United players will no longer be eligible for the Under-21 exemption for the 2026/27 season. Patrick Dogue occupied one of the non-homegrown spots, and Dan Gore took the homegrown spot.
Gore featured in Saturday’s pre-season game against Wrexham but could still be dropped despite an impressive performance. Similarly, Radek Vitek, who is also classified as a homegrown player, is expected to leave although he will feature at the weekend.
Along with Dorg, there are currently 15 non-born players, including new recruits Santos and Tielemans. Also included in the list are Rammens, Altay Bayundur, Nocer Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot, Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes, Brian Mbeumo, Mateusz Cunha, Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Sesco.
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According to Premier League regulations, a home-grown player is defined as “a player, regardless of nationality or age, who, by his 21st birthday (or the end of the season in which he turns 21), is registered with a club belonging to the Football Association or the Welsh Football Association for a period of three full seasons or 36 months, whether continuous or otherwise”.
As a result, winger Amad, who joined United as a teenager, qualified to be one of the first-team players when he turned 21.
Patrick Dorg counts as a non-homegrown player. (Image: Getty Images)
Amad is one of 11 live-born players over the age of 21, alongside the aforementioned Gore and Vitek, as well as Tom Heaton, Karl Darlow, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford, Dermot Mee and Toby Collier (like Dorg and Gore, Collier was born in 2004).
Nevertheless, many of these people may have left Old Trafford before the campaign began.
Vitek, Gore and Collier are the most likely to leave, with Collier entering the final 12 months of his contract after a loan spell at Hull City.
If all three move, United would retain eight native players and create two more spaces for non-vegetarian players.
The number of quotas for non-native nationals may increase further. Bindil has been linked with a departure following the departure of fellow goalkeeper Andre Onana, and United could potentially remove Ugarte from their 25-man squad after sustaining a serious injury at the World Cup.
Although the number of available locations appears to be limited at the moment, there is still potential for expansion. Amid speculation over the French midfielder, Manu Kone already has a place available, but new signing Thompson does not count towards the quota as he is under 21.
Things could become more complicated if another veteran player leaves the club. But Rashford also faces an uncertain future. United may be prompted to sign another fresh-faced player to fill the 25-man quota in the official Premier League squad.
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