Marcus Rashford only second in sellability ranking of Man Utd bomb squad

Marcus Rashford should be the most sellable member of the five-man Manchester United bomb squad. But he’s not…

When they entered the summer, United were apparently hopeful of raking in around £160million for the five players everyone knows they want rid of.

That, obviously, was ludicrous. The only club daft enough to pay top whack for these lads would be United themselves.

So as the summer rolls on, United remain at an impasse with the transfers, unable to strengthen much further before they get rid of their drifters.

How much can they hope to bank now? Is it possible they will start the season with all five still on their books? Here’s how we rank the unwanted stars based on how likely they are to earn some money for United…

5) Tyrell Malacia
PSV opted against taking up their option to sign Malacia for £9million because they’re not daft. The Netherlands defender started only three Eredivisie games after joining in January but at least he proved to any potential suitors that he’s not completely broken having spent over a year on the sidelines.

Ruben Amorim didn’t aid United in their mission to sell Malacia when he revealed the 25-year-old hasn’t got it in him to play as a wing-back because he struggles to go forward. Which feels like something United ought to have spotted earlier but, as we know, they haven’t been the most observant bunch.

So what now? United will apparently accept something like £3million just so Malacia doesn’t show as a loss on the books. Will anyone who can afford his £75,000-a-week salary stump up? Probably not.

4) Jadon Sancho
United need to hope there is some truth in reports Juventus want both Sancho and Francisco Conceicao since it seems the Old Lady has done a deal to sign the Portuguese winger from Porto.

Regardless, whether it’s Juve or anyone else, United will have to accept they aren’t going to get anything like the £25million they hoped for. Frankly, they’ll be fortunate to bank anything while escorting Sancho off the premises one last time.

The winger is on something ridiculous like £250,000 a week which he is due for another year. Chelsea offered him the chance to get away for less, but that wasn’t for him. Juve certainly won’t pay the same salary – reports suggest he’s being offered half. And we doubt Sancho is motivated enough to give up half of what he’s contractually owed to take up a great opportunity in Turin.

And, to be fair, why should he? It makes sense for Sancho to sit tight, wait for a loan move at the end of the window, when United will have to accept paying only a portion of his salary for the reward of having him out the door. Then, in a year, after another season trousering an undeserved wedge, he gets to go as a free agent.

So, if anyone is daft enough to offer actual money for Sancho, United ought to snap their hand off.

3) Antony
Aside from Malacia, around whom all is deathly quiet, the least noise among the bomb squad is coming from Antony’s direction. Because it was thought Real Betis would find a way to bring back a winger who regained some credibility while on loan in Spain during the second half of last season.

Can Betis afford to buy? Maybe, probably not. And they are cool with that being known. Because it will squeeze United ever more over a player who clearly has no future under Amorim.

Of course, Betis would prefer Antony back on loan but United insist they won’t do that. At least not without guarantees and the Spaniards are toying with some workarounds. There are reports of interest from elsewhere but nothing firm enough for Betis to panic into making United an offer they might be satisfied to accept. Certainly not yet. And they are content in the knowledge Antony fancies being back in Andalusia.

Apparently, United have already dropped the asking price from £40million to £30million, but they won’t get that either. Certainly not in the form of cold hard cash they can put towards their stalled summer recruitment.

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2) Marcus Rashford
Rashford is probably United’s most sellable asset of the five. But that also means he can afford to be pickier when choosing his next move.

Ideally, he would go to Barcelona. A few weeks ago, that appeared something of a pipe dream while Nico Williams was being teased by the Catalans. But Barca’s failure to close a deal for Williams highlights the financial constraints they remain under.

If they can’t buy Williams, they probably can’t buy Rashford. But they can wait until the back end of the window before offering a loan deal with options or obligations, which at least gets the forward’s salary – or most of it – off United’s books.

Barca can bide their time here because they know Rashford’s desire. Without something coming from nothing, the only obvious threat we see here is Bayern Munich, given the Bavarians and Liverpool are way, way off in their valuations of Luis Diaz. And even then, Leandro Trossard could be a cheaper option.

1) Alejandro Garnacho
The Argentina winger probably represents United’s best chance of banking some cash. But certainly not the £70million they initially hoped for. Nor £60million after their first reduction. If they get anything more than half the price they were initially quoting, that’s a result.

Why should they be grateful for that? Because Garnacho would be a risk for anyone taking on the his full rights this summer.

As a player, we know he is limited. He has bursts, moments. For a winger, he’s not rapid and as a right-footer on the left, he struggles to go down the outside.

If that doesn’t make buyers beware, his character ought to. There were red flags around Garnacho’s attitude even before he made his first senior start and all the evidence suggests little has changed.

So the smart suitors will insist on trying before they buy, but someone of the not-unreasonable belief that United is more the problem, not the player, could be tempted by Garnacho. Probably Chelsea.