As Cristiano Ronaldo publicly discovered when his contract was canceled just months into the Dutchman’s rule at the club, Erik ten Hag has not been afraid to be ruthless during his first year at Manchester United. While a few unimportant players were demoted to the bench quickly after he took over as coach last summer and may now be on their way out of the club.
Ten Hag reportedly cut five players from the first team because of concerns about an oversized squad, according to sources at the start of the season. Although United’s team at the time was considerably larger, the changing room at Carrington, their training facility, can only fit a maximum of 24 players.
When five squad members on the periphery of the team, including Phil Jones, approached Ten Hag, he was then required to have uncomfortable conversations with them. Axel Tuanzebe, Tegen Mendi, Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, Shola Shoretire, and the United Forgotten Man were all dropped from Ten Hag’s first team plans after struggling for playing time for several years due to injury.
In the course of the season, several of the five left United on loans, but three of them are now slated to go permanently at the end of the campaign.
Jones was highly regarded while Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, but recurring injuries have prevented him from playing in the Premier League more than seven times in the past four years. His contract expires in the summer, and it is unlikely that he will be given a new one; instead, he will likely go on a free transfer.
Despite a recent injury crisis at the back for Ten Hag, versatile defender Williams has been spotted on the bench. However, he has only played four minutes of football this season in the Carabao Cup, and his contract expires at the end of the season, so he could be replaced by Jones.
Williams may have more admirers than Jones because he is only 23 and has already shown promise at the Premier League level, just as Tuanzebe has after returning from a loan at Stoke.
Nevertheless, due to injuries, the defender has only made a few games in the Championship, and he may be on the verge of leaving with Jones and Williams on a free transfer.
In the midst of uncertainty over who will succeed the Glazers as the takeover process drags on, Ten Hag may need to make space on the salary bill in order to bring in marquee recruits for the summer. Three players who were previously banned by the Dutchman may also be on the verge of leaving the team at the end of the current campaign.