Man Utd ‘already’ decide that four players will leave as Red Devils ‘risk leaving Ten Hag short’
Man Utd are looking to boost Erik ten Hag’s transfer budget this summer by overseeing a huge clearout at Old Trafford, according to reports.
The Red Devils have had a good season under the Dutchman with Ten Hag having them well placed to qualify for the Champions League and he has also guided them to Carabao Cup glory.
Their 3-0 defeat to Sevilla on Thursday night was a low point in their season as they crashed out of the Europa League 5-2 on aggregate – but they still have a chance of more silverware this term as they face Brighton in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
The Man Utd takeover is causing anxiety amongst supporters with the Glazers ready to stay on as owners if an interested bidder fails to meet their £6bn demands.
If no bidder meets their asking price before their deadline for third bids next week then the situation could drag on into the summer.
There has been a report that Ten Hag will be able to ‘spend big’ even if the Glazers stay as the American owners have access to a ‘company credit card’ with a £300m budget.
The uncertainty is unlikely to help the Man Utd boss make plans for the summer but The Athletic has claimed that ‘there are doubts over the playing futures of several members of the first-team squad, and decisions have already been made regarding a handful of players.’
Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe will leave in the summer with their contracts running down at the end of the season, while Alex Telles and Eric Bailly ‘are two players that went on loan – to Sevilla and Marseille respectively – to give them playing time as well as effectively put them in the shop window’.
Man Utd are looking to be ‘more decisive when choosing to move on a player’ after allowing numerous players to move on free transfers last summer at the end of their contracts.
The Red Devils are ‘planning a number of outgoings this summer in an effort to streamline Ten Hag’s squad’ but they face ‘the challenge of balancing sales with squad size with the risk of selling too many leaving Ten Hag short’.
Despite losing to Sevilla on Thursday night, Christian Eriksen thinks Man Utd should be “proud” of their efforts so far this season.
“We had a few of the bigger setbacks this season,” the Denmark international said. “But in the end, we can see where we are.
“I mean, we were in a quarter-final in the Europa League after everything else and now in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
“So we can still be proud of where we are but obviously we want to achieve more. Sunday’s now where we can prove our point.”
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