Ole is at the wheel now and that means he’s going to get the chance to remake the Manchester United squad in his visage. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was officially appointed permanent manager of the Red Devils last week, granted a three year deal.
Massive changes are expected this summer, Solskjaer himself has said so. In order to clear space and obtain funds, some players will be out the Old Trafford exit door, but who? As we’ve written previously, Alexis Sanchez, Marcos Rojo and Juan Mata are three of the more likely players to be considered for the trading block.
Link: Six Players United Could Target this Summer
Metro and ESPN are two outlets that have stories today about the potential United clear out, and those three players are mentioned in both articles.
Apparently, it will be up to Solskjaer to decide if the club will hear out offers for Sanchez or not. Alexis has been, inarguably, one of the biggest busts in club history, and it remains to be seen whether or not they can find a suitor for him.
As for Mata, his contract is set to expire in June, same for fellow Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera. There have already been reports that Herrera has reached a pre-contract agreement with Paris Saint-Germain.
While there are question marks surrounding a couple players in midfield, it’s the back line where we could see the biggest overhaul.
The aforementioned Rojo could be on his way out, likewise for Matteo Darmian, who has really struggled for playing time and is keen on a return to Italy. Club captain Antonio Valencia, who has served with the club for a decade, will be free to bolt on a free transfer too.
Finally, centre back Eric Bailly has failed to impress, as Jose Mourinho’s very first transfer window addition is buried down the depth chart. It’s probably best for both parties if he moves on, especially with United’s well documented, prolonged quest to find a new central defender upgrade.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.