Wayne Rooney said yesterday that Manchester United need a summer clear out. Yes, it has been overdue for some time, and now with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his merry band of INEOS cronies on board, perhaps it will finally happen. Rooney is spot on, so we looked at nine players who will, should or could leave this summer at this link. We also listed out seven players that we believe should stick around this summer at this link.
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United FYIs
Championship Sunday Kickoff: Sun. May 19, 4pm, Falmer Stadium, Brighton & Hove, UK
Man United Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Manchester United 8th, 57 pts, WLLDW Brighton 10th, 48 pts, LDWLL
Google Result Probability: Manchester United 31% Draw 23% Brighton 46%
So in the third and final installment of this series we present seven players who will be on the spot/hot seat next season.
Victor Lindelof
Central defense is and has been a mess for a long time. Although that is not the fault of this Swede. He’s a squad player, albeit one with a lot of longevity. Needs to prove to INEOS that he belongs, in order to stick around.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
He’s a reminder of why we stopped citing The Sun on this website. They consistently publish nonsensical narratives that never come to fruition. That publication has a level of credibility that is as low as it gets. They “reported” this week that Wan-Bissaka was going to say his formal, official goodbye this past Wednesday, alongside Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane.
Spoiler alert: AWB didn’t say goodbye! And if there is a commemorative t-shirt, like The S*n claimed, not a single photo of said shirt has surfaced yet. Wan-Bissaka may very well leave this summer, but he still has another year left on his deal, and United would have to find a buyer for him first.
Right now, there are no serious reports out there linking him to any other club, although the idea of a return to Palace has been discussed.
More on all this over at this link.
Mason Mount
An overpriced, bad, less than totally thoughtful signing turned into a total disaster acquisition as the season went on. Can’t sell him to anybody right now, so hope that year two goes better for him and the club. Nowhere to go but up.
Sofyan Amrabat and Lisandro Martinez
We know that manager Erik ten Hag rates both of these guys, but what if he is replaced? These guys would have something to prove to the new boss. With Lucha though, it is more about proving he can stay healthy, as his quality and level are top notch.
Luke Shaw
Just cannot stay healthy, period. Shaw and Anthony Martial are the always injured twins. Of course, who would really want to buy him right now though? When he is healthy, he is top quality though, as he even has a club player of the yea award to his credit.
Diogo Dalot
See Wan-Bissaka; everything applies.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.