Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, must decide whether to sell Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Harry Maguire this summer.
The Red Devils will return to the Champions League after a year away, having placed third in the Premier League last season. In addition to winning the Carabao Cup and making it to the FA Cup final, Ten Hag’s team also lost to Manchester United at Wembley.
Ten Hag, though, is not resting on his laurels despite having a fantastic first season at United and wants to bolster his team even more. While other positions have been sought, Mason Mount, who will join in a £55 million deal from Chelsea, is expected to be their first acquisition of the transfer season.
When Wout Weghorst’s six-month loan to Burnley came to an end, the Red Devils made finding a replacement no. 9 their first priority. Cristiano Ronaldo left in January to join Al-Nassr. Randal Kolo Muani, Rasmus Hojlund, Harry Kane, and Victor Osimhen are all possible candidates for Ten Hag.
This summer, there might also be additional outgoings. After having trouble getting game time for the Red Devils last year, Sancho, Martial, and Maguire all been linked with exits. All three of them were at the bottom of the food chain after losing their positions for various reasons.
But when it comes to those three, there is a tricky balance to embrace. Knowing that they are on contracts that might not be comparable elsewhere, United could profit and take a loss on a hefty transfer price.
United would still need to be replaced if they did that. According to the BBC, this could lead to a financial hardship that might make leaving impossible.
In an ideal world, United would trade the three players to create place for more acquisitions as Ten Hag works to bolster his team. Unfortunately for the Dutchman, this appears to be rather unlikely.
First, Sancho has been mentioned in connection with both a move to Tottenham and a return to Borussia Dortmund this summer. The Red Devils have already rejected a loan attempt from The Black and Yellow for Sancho, and they would only consider a permanent bid, as was reported on Saturday.
Martial, who is now United’s lone senior striker, is likely to stay given the club’s £25 million asking price. When he was healthy, the Frenchman excelled under Ten Hag, scoring nine goals in 29 games.
As for Maguire, he has been linked with a move away due to the form of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, and even the form of Victor Lindelof towards the back end of last season.