Manchester United have been treading water for too long and it’s time Ed Woodward truly got his house in order.
The January signing of Bruno Fernandes has been warmly received and provided the squad with a vibrant talent who possesses a level of star quality which could curtail the Red Devils’ seemingly endless fall into the footballing abyss.
More signings of his ilk will be required to undergo the type of revolution the club is crying out for. As the £47m deal proved, though, players of elite quality seldom come cheap.
According to a recent report from The Athletic, United will need to sell to buy big this summer.
With the need to buy big a perennial feeling at Old Trafford amid Liverpool and Manchester City’s dominance in English football, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer simply has to offload a handful of players this summer.
Not only will a summer clearout free up funds to enhance United’s financial muscle in the transfer market, it should ease the burden of an extensive wage bill which is the second highest in the league after Manchester City.
If Woodward is smart and clears the dead weight from Solskjaer’s squad, he could save United a staggering £55.12m per year and immediately wipe that from their annual budget.
Here’s how he could do just that…
Players who are unlikely to stay beyond the summer
The Paul Pogba saga had ran its course in a previous lifetime yet it continues to linger at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer has recently claimed the Frenchman is “desperate” to play for the club again having started just five Premier League games this season, but the constant rumours linking him away from the club suggest it’s only a matter of time before he departs.
The sale would relieve United of the £15.08m salary he takes home each year and, given the baggage his presence brings, it would be wise to get him off the books.
Marcos Rojo, meanwhile is currently on loan at Estudiantes and is seemingly surplus to requirements. His contract is due to expire in 2021 and the summer window will represent the last chance for United to command a decent fee for his signature.
Finally, Phil Jones, who takes home £3.9m per year on his current salary, is hardly even giving the meme-hungry vultures an opportunity to work their magic on social media this season. Well, that’s not entirely his fault as Solskjaer has only started him twice in the Premier League. That tells you all you need to know about his position after almost nine years in the famous red shirt.
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Players who aren’t warranting their wage
Earning an extortionate £18.2m per year, it makes sense for Alexis Sanchez to be removed from the wage bill. Injuries have held the Chilean back but he has scored one and assisted two at Inter Milan this season. A promising return, but he’s simply not worth the astronomical salary at 31 years of age.
Juan Mata is the 6th highest earner at the club with a wage of £8.32m per year, but 733 minutes of Premier League football do not reflect that financial outlay. With his contract expiring in June 2021, it’s an ideal time to cash in on the Spaniard.
Finally, a summer clearout wouldn’t be complete without waving goodbye to Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira, who earn £3.9m and £1.56m respectively. Does anything more need to be said?
Results of Man United’s summer clearout
If Woodward is able to shift all of the aforementioned players the results could be game changing for the club’s ambitions in the transfer window.
It would be rather ruthless for the club to offload seven senior – perhaps with the exception of Pereira – players in one window, but it’s a necessary step to enlightenment for United, particularly given their need to sell.
Collectively, £55.12m would be slashed from the wage bill and they would finally be rid of two of their three highest earners in Sanchez and Pogba – two players who are quite simply draining resources.