It was certainly a season to forget at Manchester United. Massive changes are looming at Old Trafford after a disastrous season saw the Red Devils finish sixth in the Premier League while cycling through two coaches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. With Erik Ten Hag set to take over the project in hopes of restoring the club to its former glory, Manchester United figures to be active in the transfer market.
While there will be plenty of incoming transfers at Manchester United, this summer provides the perfect opportunity for the club to rid itself of players who no longer fit into the long-term plans. Ten Hag will certainly be looking to do some housecleaning in Manchester and could wind up offloading a handful of former key players.
Anything less than Champions League qualification in 2022-23 will be considered a massive failure for Manchester United, and the club will want to ensure it's putting forth the best possible squad each and every week. That means, amid the plethora of potential signings, fans should prepare for some big sales as well.
With all that in mind, here are 5 players Manchester United needs to move on from during the summer transfer window.
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5 players Manchester United must move on from this summer
5. Jesse Lingard
The fact that Manchester United has kept Lingard this long is truly perplexing. It was clear that he would never be given a real chance in the first team, despite his sensational loan spell with West Ham last season. Various Premier League clubs were interested in Lingard both this summer and in the January transfer window, but United insisted he was unavailable. In all this season, Lingard played in 16 matches, starting just twice. He recorded 367 minutes on the pitch and scored two goals. He doesn't figure to see an improved role in 2022-23, so it's time for United to bite the bullet and move on from their former academy product, who has been desperate to seek first-team opportunity elsewhere.
4. Phil Jones
Phil Jones' name is practically a running joke among football fans at this point. Jones has been at Manchester United for more than a decade now, and it's beyond time the club ends his tenure with the team. He featured in only four matches last season and has long been deemed surplus to requirements. With Ten Hag set to take over at the club, it seems clear that Jones has no place in United's backline. Jones is not quality enough to play for a team with Premier League title and Champions League aspirations, and keeping him around is quite frankly more of a distraction than anything else. It's time to end the Phil Jones era in Manchester.
3. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Wan-Bissaka once looked to be a brilliant signing for Manchester United, however, that no longer appears to be the case. The former Crystal Palace star lost his starting spot to Diogo Dalot throughout the season and was under constant scrutiny for defensive mishaps throughout the season. It's not believed that Wan-Bissaka is part of Ten Hag's plans this upcoming season, and he's already been linked with a move away from the club, perhaps back to his former stomping grounds at Crystal Palace.
2. Marcus Rashford
While Marcus Rashford once looked like a future Manchester United superstar, his career hasn't quite panned out as expected. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo last season further reduced his role, and saw him become a fringe player at the club. In all, he featured in 25 matches in the Premier League this season, but only registered 13 starts. That comes on the heels of three consecutive seasons with at least 25 Premier League starts and 10+ goals. In 2021-22, Rashford scored just 4 goals and added 2 assists, failing to contribute in his usual fashion. It doesn't seem likely that he's going to win back his starting spot any time soon, so perhaps Manchester United will try to cash in on the 24-year-old attacker.
1. Paul Pogba
With Paul Pogba's contract expiring, his days at Manchester United are all but over. The French midfielder is almost certain to leave the club as he and the club failed to agree to a new contract. Pogba had a rather tumultuous tenure at Manchester United, playing under various managers during his tenure and facing constant scrutiny from the media. He's been linked to several of the top clubs across Europe, and unfortunately for Manchester United, they won't be receiving a transfer fee when he makes his move away from the squad. Having been a key midfielder at the club since 2016, Pogba is set to leave on a free transfer, leaving a major hole in United's midfield.
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