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Erik ten Hag might stay or go after the season but none of that should save the players from a clearout as well.
The crop of players, including some which have disappointed under multiple managers, have long been rewarded with expensive contracts and renewals without consistent performances meriting the same.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ first order of business will be to engineer the squad clearout for financial reasons as well.
To that tune, Football Insider reports that United have identified four players who will top that list.
These four will be shifted urgently by United which means they might be willing to even take losses on these sales just to get rid.
The players are Raphael Varane, Casemiro, Chrisitan Eriksen, and Jonny Evans.
Two of the names are obvious ones on the list- Varane’s contract expires in the summer so more than “selling” him, United are likely to just not activate the option in his contract and let him leave.
Evans is also on a one-year contract and while he has been a pleasant surprise, his age and inevitable decline dictate that United look for better, more long-term options to invest in.
Casemiro has just had the worst game of his United career away at Palace and the calls for his departure are deafening but he’ll be the hardest to shift.
United handed him a five-year contract worth nearly £350k/week in 2022 and except for Middle-East, nobody looks capable of taking that off United’s books.
Therefore, that will be a sale where United will undoubtedly make a huge loss and hopefully, the new regime will learn their lesson first up by cleaning up a Glazer mistake.
Eriksen might be a case where United can get a fee if they are smart. The Dane looks past it playing in United’s dysfunctional system but his ball-playing and set-piece abilities might be valued by a team in the top-five leagues.
Considering he joined as a free transfer, any income from his sale will be a big bonus.
The INEOS regime is keen to clear up the wages by finally holding high-earners accountable and with Martial’s exit all but sealed, these exits will free up more nearly a million/week in wages alone.
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