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Manchester United need to sell these 4 players this month
- Fabrizio Tabone
- Jan 3
- 6 min read
Manchester United are in dire need of changes to the squad this January, with Ruben Amorim's team struggling for form after around two months since his arrival.
United currently sit 14th in the Premier League, just seven points above the relegation zone, and 13 points away from the UEFA Champions League spots. It is safe to say that Amorim's start to life in Manchester has been much tougher than one would have anticipated, and there are no signs of a new manager bounce at Old Trafford.
As expected, United are being linked with an abundance of new players in the January transfer window, as Amorim looks to get players he feel are better suited to his system, with the likes of Nuno Mendes, Milos Kerkez and Viktor Gyokeres being linked.
However, funds will be extremely hard to come by, with United being limited by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules after some reckless spending over the past few years. Over the past three years alone, United posted a loss before tax of €377 million.
Therefore, if Amorim is going to bring any players into the squad, then he will need to send a number of others the other way, particularly given many players' huge wages.
Here are four players we feel need to leave the club so Amorim can make one or two new signings this month.
Casemiro
The first player in the list is probably one of the toughest to get rid of: Casemiro.
The Brazilian has found life at Old Trafford very tough in the last few months, with him struggling for form. Casemiro was excellent during Erik ten Hag's first season, yet his performances fell off a cliff towards the latter stages of that campaign, the 2023/24 season, and now this season.
Aside from him being sloppy on the ball, he seems slow at tracking back and has found it difficult to adapt to Amorim's system, looking much more comfortable as part of a midfield three rather than a pairing.
Like many other players moving towards the latter stages of their careers, Casemiro has emerged as a target for many Saudi Pro League clubs, with some teams expressing an interest in him last summer. Many have reportedly retained their interest in him, and it might just be the move he needs with him not keeping up with the pace of the Premier League.
According to reports, Casemiro is the top earner at United, with him having a gross weekly wage of around €420,000. Additionally, when he signed in the summer of 2022, he penned a deal that would tie him down to the club until 2026, which seemed absurd given his age.
Should United offload him, they would be making great progress towards meeting their PSR targets, as aside from his extortionate wages, there are reports that United are holding out for around €36 million for him.
Whether he goes on a free or for a decent fee, he is a player that United need to sell as soon as possible. It is still outstanding that United shelled out a reported fee of around €72 million for him. The transfer away would be a case of the ownership cutting their losses once and for all.
Antony
Antony, the enigma that capitalised Erik ten Hag's tenure at United. It is safe to say that the Brazilian is not the player many fans had hoped for.
After a brilliant start to life at United, Antony has had a torrid time at Old Trafford, with his one-dimensional style of play being figured out by opposition defenders, with his trademark cutting inside becoming too predictable. His goal involvements have drastically decreased as a result, and he is now on the fringes of the squad under Amorim, with the likes of Amad, Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes all ahead of him for the advanced positions, while Amad, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have occupied the right wingback spots.
His only goal this season came from the penalty spot in the Barnsley rout in the Carabao Cup.
He has attracted interest from abroad, with the likes of Real Betis and a number of Brazilian clubs reportedly wanting to sign him. However, it remains to be seen whether United will be keen to accept offers which are drastically lower than the fee they had paid for. It is clear that if he will go, it will be for a huge loss, with his transfer value falling off a cliff since his move to England. According to transfermarkt, in November 2022 he was worth €75 million, yet is now valued at just €20 million.
United need to sell the winger, who has become so symbolic of the Glazers' mistakes in the transfer window, with his €95 million fee being completely unjustified.
Altay Bayindir
One of the outgoings that is less of a priority is Altay Bayindir. The Turkish goalkeeper has barely featured since his arrival, and it is safe to say that he has not challenged Andre Onana for the starting spot.
This season, he has only played three games, with all of them coming in the Carabao Cup, and he did not cover himself in glory, especially in the Quarter-Final against Tottenham, where he looked shaky and was at fault for two of the goals in particular.
Selling him would not make a huge difference to United's squad and transfer budget, as he would not be sold for as significant of a fee as the aforementioned pair. However, Tom Heaton is a good enough goalkeeper to fill his place, and there is enough talent in the academy to slot in if needed.
In the summer, United have to make a decision on Onana - whether to stick by him and get a second goalkeeper capable of challenging him for a starting berth, or whether they need a new starting goalkeeper altogether. But that is a question for another window.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford's time under Amorim has been mixed to say the least.
The star forward looked like he was set to revive his career under the Portuguese manager, as in Amorim's first two league games, he got three goals and looked in red-hot form in front of goal, something that has not been the case for a few years now.
However, that form quickly died down, and as United started to struggle, so did Rashford. He has been completely frozen out of the team, with Amorim repeatedly saying that he picks the team based on training performances, and that there were other players who were more deserving of a place in the team. He was completely left out of the squad for four consecutive games, before returning to the bench against Newcastle United, yet others came on, not him.
Amidst all this, Rashford had an interview with Henry Winter where he spoke about a new challenge and about the prospect of leaving the club. The interview was sanctioned by the club, but it is unclear whether Amorim was happy with it.
After 10 seasons at United, Rashford's time at the club seems to be coming to an end, as he has struggled to recapture the stellar form he had in his earlier years, proving too inconsistent for many United managers. The talent is clearly there, but the desire is questionable, and it is unclear whether he has a place in Amorim's new system. He is possibly the one player that Antony is getting ahead of in the team, and that speaks volumes about his place in the squad.
The question about Rashford is, where does he go? Like many others in the team, he has huge wages that could put other clubs off signing him, unless he takes a significant pay cut.
The endless links to Paris Saint-Germain have resurfaced, while reports have also said that he could possibly make a move over to Germany or Italy. United could go for a loan with an obligation to buy, similar to how they offloaded Jadon Sancho or Mason Greenwood, but they would hope for a significantly higher transfer fee for the Englishman, especially since his transfer could be the one to help alleviate some of the PSR pressure off them.
Seeing an academy player leave the club is never easy, but this might just be the right step for all parties.
What do you think? Do you agree with these picks?