Ratcliffe in ruthless 10-man clearout at Man Utd, with summer signing and in-form star to be axed
Man Utd trio Sofyan Amrabat, Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho
Potential new Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing for a brutal overhaul of the senior squad, with at least 10 players set to be on the move across January and the summer.
Ratcliffe has agreed to pay £1.3billion for a 25 per cent stake in Man Utd, and it could lead to an eventual takeover of the club from current owners the Glazers. The British billionaire, who already owns French side Nice, had been hoping to begin work at Man Utd a few weeks ago.
However, the deal has been delayed, and he may now have to wait until January before he can begin his project for getting Man Utd back to the summit of English and European football.
The Manchester Evening News have now taken a look at which players Ratcliffe will push to move on, with a large part of the squad underperforming and under threat.
Veterans Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton will likely be allowed to leave on free transfers when their contracts expire at the end of the season. Evans has proven to be a useful player for manager Erik ten Hag after re-joining the club on a one-year deal, but Ratcliffe will aim to bring in bigger and better defenders next year.
Evans and Heaton could be followed out of Old Trafford by midfielder Scott McTominay. The Scot has been in good form of late, netting two late goals to help Man Utd beat Brentford 2-1 in October, as well as scoring in the subsequent win against Sheffield United. Those goals saw McTominay once again establish himself as a regular starter.
However, McTominay was put on the transfer market over the summer, and West Ham United pushed hard to sign him. The MEN label the situation ‘unsustainable’ and suggest McTominay will be made available for transfer again next summer, despite his recent impact.
Man Utd could end up having a whole new midfield next season, too. Sofyan Amrabat joined on loan from Fiorentina in September, with the option for Man Utd to buy. However, he has failed to impress thus far, and Ratcliffe is now considering snubbing the purchase option.
Eriksen, Casemiro and Martial all under threat
Two other midfielders who might head out the exit door are Christian Eriksen and Casemiro. Eriksen has admitted publicly that he does not fit Ten Hag’s style, while Casemiro looks to be past his best.
Centre-forward Anthony Martial could finally depart Man Utd in January after netting just 89 goals in over eight years at the club. With his contract due to run out at the end of the season, January represents Man Utd’s final opportunity to make some money back on the Frenchman.
Unsurprisingly, Jadon Sancho also makes it onto Ratcliffe’s ‘to sell’ list. The winger has had a very public falling out with Ten Hag over his performances in training and the fact he feels like a ‘scapegoat’ in the Man Utd squad.
Sancho will push to leave Man Utd at the earliest opportunity, making a January switch almost certain. He does not want to end his career at the top level early by heading to Saudi Arabia, giving Juventus a great chance at landing him.
Making up the rest of the 10-man list are Donny van de Beek and Mason Greenwood. Van De Beek is essentially Man Utd’s forgotten man, having played just 21 minutes so far this term.
He desperately needs to secure a permanent exit from Man Utd to get back in the Netherlands squad, and Galatasaray are reportedly ready to offer him that opportunity.
Mason Greenwood to leave Man Utd permanently
Greenwood, meanwhile, is on loan at Getafe after Man Utd decided they would help him get back into top-flight football, following charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control against him being dropped.
When announcing Greenwood would continue his career at Getafe, Man Utd did not completely rule out him playing for them ever again. Although, it would be a huge surprise if this happened as they would face colossal public backlash. Instead, it is likely Getafe will launch a bid to sign the attacker permanently.
It must be noted that there are other players at Man Utd facing uncertain futures, including Raphael Varane, Shola Shoretire and Brandon Williams.
