Ruben Amorim said it himself earlier this year. The summer transfer window will be demanding, it has to be sold to be bought. Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes are two of the players that Manchester United must not lose, yet the two players are linked to clubs such as Chelsea and Real Madrid. English Goal has taken the analysis of which players United really need to sell (and replace) to make Amorim’s job next season possible.
With the loss to Nottingham Forest this week, where former United player Elanga was the only one at the City Ground to score, United are in 13th place, seven points behind 10th place and Bournemouth. With only eight games left, it seems tough to get into the top ten, and without a Europa League title, United will also be out of action in Europe for the first time in ten years.
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The English media has singled out ten players who hamper Manchester United in terms of play and/or financially.
First to the obvious players on hire:
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony
Now to two grown gentlemen who are past the time where the body held up and delivered world-class:
Luke Shaw, Casemiro
Now to two players who in recent months have been heavily linked with exits due to performances over time that United cannot live with:
Andre Onana, Rasmus Højlund
The full analysis can be found here, we have selected the analysis of three players who may not all have looked at the “need to sell” list.
Mason Mount
“Mason Mount made a promising effort in a No. 10 role after his recent return from injury at Forest, prompting Amorim to highlight how well he fits his 3-4-3 formation.” If you look at the history of Mason Mount, he played in this system many times, especially at Chelsea, he played left hand, right side,” said the Portuguese coach. “So I think it’s a very good position for him.”
“Amorim is right about Mount’s profile, but he’s wrong in trusting him. The 26-year-old has only started nine Premier League games for United since his move from Chelsea in 2023, and he has not repaid any of his large transfer fee of £60 million.
“Mount can’t stay in shape long enough to make any kind of impact. It’s hard to predict when, or if, Mount will be able to play more 90-minute games at the highest level week after week again due to his chronic physical issues, so right now he’s simply not worth the reported £250,000 per week wages United pay him and needs to be put on the transfer list.”
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Diogo Dalot
“Dalot is generally regarded as one of United’s more reliable players among fans, which is frankly confusing. At best, he is consistently mediocre, which is not a standard that should ever be accepted from a regular starter at Old Trafford, regardless of the team’s collective struggles.”
Going forward, Dalot’s passing is erratic, while in defense he is often caught not holding his marker and loses too many duels. The right flank has been an issue for United for many years now, which will remain the case until they sign an upgrade for the Portuguese.
Incredibly, Dalot has been linked with top clubs such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in recent months, and United would be wise to try and make money. At 26, it’s already clear that he’s never going to be the world-class right-back the Red Devils need to reach the next level.”
Tyrell Malacia
“Malacia looked like a smart signing after a promising debut season in 2022-23, but suffered a serious knee injury at the end of that campaign, spending 550 days on the sidelines to recover from surgery.”
“The Dutch full-back missed 72 games during that time, and was unable to force his way back into the starting XI after returning to action in November. When Amorim had little use for Malacia, United decided to loan the 25-year-old to PSV, where he has finally been able to build up some rhythm again over the last three months.
“Malacia is better off staying in her homeland than returning to Old Trafford in the summer; he needs regular minutes to get his career back on track, something United simply can’t offer him. Luck has been against Malacia, but he doesn’t seem robust enough to take on the character of the Red Devils, who now have Patrick Dorgu on board in their preferred left-back spot.”
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