Even though Man United are one of the most reputable teams in the world, it does feel like there’s a real problem with trying to attract players who can make a big difference to the team.
It’s hard to tell who’s really to blame, Ed Woodward gets a lot of stick and rightfully so, but it also sounds like they don’t have as much money to throw around as they used to. You could also point to a lack of recent success that will turn potential signings off too.
MORE: Man Utd potential XI if they clinch Kane & Sancho transfers, plus Pogba sale
The signing of Bruno Fernandes definitely looks like a step in the right direction, but he also cost a lot of money and it sounds like they will need to sell some players before buying this Summer:
Reduced income and signing of Bruno means #MUFC‘s cash reserves have dropped from £308m to £100m.
Sales will be needed if club are to spend big in the summer | @lauriewhitwell https://t.co/GE0D5P7dm6
— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) February 26, 2020
Obviously they can’t just weaken the team for the sake of it, and you could even argue that Marcus Rashford is the only player who’s stock is high after this season but these three players could be sold for good money and allow them to rebuild:
Paul Pogba:
The obvious one due to his lack of playing time this season and Mino Raiola doing all he can to show why clubs shouldn’t want to do business with him, but it seems like the Frenchman is done at Old Trafford. It’s not impossible that a new manager could come in and get him back on side, but he’s mainly a distraction at this point and letting him go might suit everyone. It might depend on which clubs are interested, but another starring performance in the Euro’s for a successful France team could result in a big fee if he does leave.
David de Gea:
It’s ironic that the one time Man United don’t seem to be reliant on de Gea coincides with a situation where he’s tied down on a long term deal and there isn’t much talk of him moving on. Selling the Spaniard would depend on how much faith the coaching staff have in Dean Henderson, but it could also allow them to reinvest that money somewhere else in the squad. PSG and Real Madrid have goalkeeping issues just now so a big money sale could be possible, but he would be the biggest call to make on this list.
Anthony Martial:
Martial seems to be the epitome of a luxury player, if things are going well then he will come up with some magic moments to seal a victory, but he’s unlikely to get a gritty winner in a tough 1-0 victory when he’s up against it. Just watching him play you can see he will point and moan at anyone else to shift the blame, and he hides when the going gets tough. That’s not to say he’s a bad player, he could be outstanding in a great team with others to make space for him, but he’s not shown enough to be the main man for a team like Man United. He’s only 24 and could command a decent fee.
There are plenty of other players who could be sold on like Luka Shaw, Andreas Pereira, Jesse Lingard, Alexis Sanchez, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling – but they would really just make some room on the wage bill rather than bringing large fees.
It looks set to be a huge Summer for United, and deciding who to sell could be even more important than who they bring in.