Five players who could leave and five who could join the Old Trafford side in this summer’s transfer window.
Out: Patrice Evra
It may be time for Manchester United to bid farewell to Patrice Evra. The French defender is now 32 and looks past his best. After seven fine years at Old Trafford the left-back is being strongly linked with a move to his former club Monaco, who will spend big money upon their promotion to Ligue 1 next season. Although United have a history of keeping experienced players around for a long time, new United manager David Moyes may feel this is a position that could be strengthened, and his predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson obviously thought so too by bringing in Dutch left-back Alexander Buttner last summer, though the Dutchman has so far failed to settle at the club.
Out: Ashley Young
The England winger has been a real disappointment since joining Manchester United from Aston Villa for close to £20million. Despite earning a reputation at Villa Park as a consistent source of goals and assists from the flanks, the only reputation he has earned at Old Trafford is one for being something of a diver. After struggling with fitness and form this season, he is definitely one that Moyes will consider showing the door when he takes over at United. Other wingers have been disappointing too, such as Nani and Antonio Valencia, but Young arguably stands out as the worst and least worth keeping around.
Out: Anderson
The Brazilian midfielder has not lived up to his potential since joining Manchester United from Porto for £20million. Once considered an exciting young talent, he is now something of a liability at the club, looking slow and lazy in midfield, and unable to provide much of a cutting edge going forward either. With Paul Scholes retiring, Moyes will need to bring in a replacement, and Anderson is not the player to do it. The 25-year-old has been linked with Spurs, and may too feel it is time to move on to further his career with more regular first team football.
Out: Javier Hernandez
The Mexican striker looked like an excellent acquisition in his first season with United, when he settled quickly and fired the team to the Premier League title with 20 goals. However, the 24-year-old has for some reason been used sparingly since then, perhaps due to a weakness in his overall play. As harsh as it may be, he seems to have accepted his fate and wants to move on. He has been linked with Atletico Madrid and Juventus, and United may feel they could sell him for a decent profit and use the money to pursue some bigger targets.
Out: Wayne Rooney
In what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest transfer sagas of the summer, Wayne Rooney looks set to leave Manchester United after nine years with the club. The England star has submitted a transfer request due to being continually played out of position and feeling undervalued by Sir Alex Ferguson. Perhaps with David Moyes taking over, the 27-year-old could be persuaded to stay, but United may also be tempted to cash in on a player who is attracting a great deal of interest from a number of Europe’s top clubs. He has wanted to leave before, and may be seen as a disruptive presence in the dressing room. Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG and Bayern Munich have been linked with Rooney, as have United’s Premier League rivals Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. One thing’s for sure, United won’t have a hard time selling him if they choose to do so, and it looks like it’s probably the right time.
In: Leighton Baines (Everton)
With Evra possibly on the way out, Moyes has been linked with a raid on one of his star players at Everton, Leighton Baines. The England left-back has been in great form at Goodison Park this season, showing himself to be one of the best attacking full-backs in the game, with his ability to bomb forward and create chances for team-mates with his excellent delivery of crosses. The 28-year-old could arguably improve on his defensive habits, but he would also be likely to spend less time defending in a talented attacking side such as United’s. Moyes may also consider bringing Marouane Fellaini from his old club, but Baines should be a priority.
In: Adil Rami (Valencia)
Arsenal are also interested in a defender who is thought of as one of the most solid and consistent in La Liga. The 27-year-old Frenchman is said to be keen on a move to a bigger club to further his career and work his way into the French national side, and there aren’t many bigger than Manchester United. Moyes may look at his current options in the centre of defence and see room for improvement, as Rio Ferdinand is now 34 and Nemanja Vidic has had a lot of recent problems with long-term injuries. Rami would give the team extra depth in this position, and it’s always good to beat a rival to a talented player. Rami would cost around £12million and that looks a decent price for a player who could shore up United’s backline for a good five years or more.
In: Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)
A new central midfielder is a must for Moyes, and it’s no surprise to see Juventus’ Claudio Marchisio linked as he is an excellent all-rounder. The 27-year-old has been at Juventus his whole career, and has established himself for club and country as a reliable goal-scorer from the middle of the park. With Scholes retiring and Anderson likely to be sold, United could do well to land this big name from a big team who have won two Serie A titles in a row. His team-mate Arturo Vidal has also been linked to United, but has expressed his desire to stay in Turin, so they may now prioritise Marchisio.
In: Nemanja Matic (Benfica)
Benfica have slapped a big £45million price tag on the head of talented Serbian playmaker Nemanja Matic, but the 25-year-old could be something of a marquee signing for Manchester United this summer. Matic is a skillful and elegant midfielder who could offer the kind of creativity that United will miss from the retiring Scholes. The sales of the likes of Anderson should help fund a move, and it looks like it would be worth it, and Matic himself would surely welcome a move to a bigger team after he and Benfica endured a painful defeat to Chelsea in this season’s Europa League final. Once of Chelsea as a youngster, he would surely relish the chance to prove himself in the Premier League again.
In: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Wayne Rooney’s name could quickly be forgotten by Manchester United fans if David Moyes can pull off the signing of the summer and bring Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. The Portuguese winger developed into one of the best players in the world at United under Sir Alex Ferguson before his record-breaking £80million move to Real. He has gone on to enhance his reputation further, with an incredible record of 200 goals in 198 games in his time at the Bernebeu, and would form a mouth-watering partnership with Robin van Persie to surely guarantee that the club retain their Premier League crown. He will no doubt be expensive, but if rumours are to be believed, Moyes could offer the likes of Nani and Hernandez in return along with cash, and this signing of a United legend would be a great way for the new manager to endear himself to the United fans.