A new broom is sweeping Old Trafford and Manchester United are at the start of a critical summer, the first of the INEOS era proper.
With Erik ten Hag’s long career despite everything resolved, informed decisions can be made about who enters and who leaves the team.
Almost part of United’s first team is expected to finish their contract until the end of the 2024-25 season and, although the club maintains one-year extensions for several of those players, others will have to be presented with new terms. sold or released.
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It’s not a hard and fast rule, however, with United having a tendency not to engage in contract negotiations with squad members during the summer window. Players whose contracts are expiring will have their futures resolved on a case-by-case basis once the club’s transfer deals are finalized. he concluded.
Only a handful of players seem determined to play at Old Trafford in 12 months’ time. Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund form a core of young talent who could be in the midst of a resurgence of United’s fortunes.
So who can stay and who can go?
*Club’s ability to trigger a one-year extension clause (below)
André Onana (2028)*
Onana made costly mistakes at the start of last season, but showed resilience to overcome those mistakes and finish his first year at Old Trafford on a positive note. And when you pay €51m (£43m, $54. 6m) for a goalkeeper, that means he’ll be around for a while.
Altai Bayindir (2027)*
Bayindir only made one appearance (in the fourth round of the FA Cup in Newport County, while Onana in the Africa Cup of Nations) and could have hoped for more opportunities. Reports linking the 26-year-old goalkeeper to Celtic have been downplayed.
Tom Heaton (2024)
With the England team in the European Championship as a training goalkeeper, Heaton has featured in the league since joining United 3 years ago. His last first-team outing was in the Carabao Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest in February 2023. The 38-year-old is an experienced and valuable manager and discussions over a one-year extension are ongoing.
Diogo Dalot (2028)*
Named the club’s Player of the Year, Dalot is one of the few members of the squad to emerge from last season with a strengthened reputation. Virtually ubiquitous, he only has one year left on his five-year contract and can be expected to be Ten Hag’s starter. back.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (2025)
Wan-Bissaka’s career at Old Trafford is at a crossroads: he has returned from a bloodless spell under Ten Hag and has been largely trustworthy when he was called up last season, either as a right-back or as an improvised left-back. The 26-year-old is entering the final year of his contract, after his one-year option was activated this winter. United will have to dedicate themselves to extending the terms or trying to sell.
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Harry Maguire (2025)*
Maguire was close to leaving last summer after wasting his starting job and captaincy, but he stayed, fought for his place and won acceptance as a Ten Hag loyalist. His commitment and willingness to play despite injuries meant United were not reduced to the bare essentials. But there is no guarantee of Maguire’s playing time if United sign Jarrad Branthwaite. A decision will soon have to be made regarding the long-term future of the 31-year-old.
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Willy Kambwala (2025)
Kambwala broke into the first team amid a defensive injury crisis and played admirably. After joining Sochaux for €4 million in 2020 and signing a professional contract a year later, his contract will expire at the end of next season, with no one left. He inserted the one-year option. Talks with United regarding renewal and extension are not yet open.
Victor Lindelof (2025)
United activated the one-year option on Lindelof’s contract, making the 2024-25 season the last of his contract. Fenerbahce’s interest, if implemented, would reunite the Swedish foreigner with Jose Mourinho, who brought him to United in 2017. Still, Lindelof is to get the same pay as Maguire, who has an extra year on his contract.
Lisandro Martinez (2027)*
Arguably United’s second most important player after Bruno Fernandes, his absence for long periods last season was keenly felt. If Martinez’s injuries are his, he deserves to once again become an integral component of United’s game with and without an owner in Ten Hag’s first year.
Johnny Evans (2024)
Evans has played more than he or Ten Hag expected after his return last summer. Thirty appearances later, the Northern Ireland captain has proven himself worthy of a one-year extension which United hope to agree before his contract expires this month.
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Luke Shaw (2027)
Shaw’s contract was one of several signed last year that did not include the same 12-month extension clause. Ten Hag believes Shaw’s injuries played a significant role in United’s struggles last season and under pressure his importance, however, his availability is worrying.
Tyrell Malacia (2026)*
It’s been more than a year since Malacia stepped onto the pitch (for the Netherlands, in the 4-2 defeat to Croatia), but it looks somewhat soft at the end of the tunnel. The 24-year-old is about to recover from his knee. Meniscus injury and will be a welcome return given Ten Hag’s upheavals at left-back last season.
Casemiro (2026)*
In a due diligence of United’s accounts last year, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe chose Casemiro’s four-year contract, with an option for a further 12 months, as an example of the club’s questionable record in the transfer market. It will be valid until the age of 35. A move to the Saudi Pro League has been announced, but no concrete offer has yet emerged. As one of the team’s highest-paid workers, Casemiro’s departure would particularly affect United’s £331m wage bill. .
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Kobbie Mainoo (2027)*
The 19-year-old returns the offer and long history of United’s midfield, but may be tied up for longer. Mainoo still has 3 years plus one left on his contract, signed 14 months ago. Discussions on a new contract have not yet begun. started.
Christian Eriksen (2025)
Eriksen enters the final 12 months of a three-year contract after seeing his playing time diminish since his arrival, with just 14 starts last season and 4 so far this year. “I’m not satisfied with the scenario and I need to play as much as possible, but I’m available and I have to be available for the team,” he said in March.
Without an extension clause, Eriksen is unlikely to get significant fees. United will have to decide if it’s better to remain a Danish international, even if it means wasting him for nothing next year.
Scott McTominay (2025)*
McTominay’s reinvention as a striker on the bench, betting high up the pitch and arriving late in the box to score goals, pulled United out of many holes last season. The 27-year-old finds himself in a similar scenario to Maguire: after almost leaving last summer, he has since proven his worth and now has one year plus one left. A resolution on his long term can wait, although not for long.
Bruno Fernandès (2026)*
Fernandes’ importance may be overstated, but the United captain has sought assurances over his position in the INEOS-led assignment and has not ruled out an exit. Fernandes and his representatives spoke to United officials in Carrington last month, keen to find out more about the club’s ambition target. Those conversations ended positively, with the hope that he will stay. If an offer comes in that United have a financial need to accept or Fernandes wants to leave, an exit is ruled out. Fernandes, who will turn 30 in September, has two years left on his contract, with the option of a third.
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Mount Mason (2028)*
His first year in Manchester was a false start, interrupted by hamstring, calf and muscle injuries, but Mount also lost his starting job to McTominay. No other player wants a blank slate and to take a position next season. After signing a five-year deal last summer, there is still enough time for the £55million signing to become a reality.
Aníbal Mejbri (2025)
Hannibal spent the second half of the crusade on loan at Sevilla, where he played only 101 minutes. Sevilla refused to use their £17m option to sign him. United activated a one-year extension in December and will lose him as a free agent, having signed him for £10m as a teenager, unless new terms or a sale are agreed in the next 12 months.
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Donny van de Beek (2025)*
After recovering from a serious knee ligament injury, the 27-year-old was usually confined to the bench until he arrived on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he played 8 Bundesliga games without playing 90 minutes. Europa Conference League. The chances of Van de Beek reviving his United career are slim. Another loan or a permanent exit is more likely. The midfielder joined his former agency, Players United, who oversaw his move to Old Trafford.
Read more about United’s long term under INEOS. . .
Antonio (2027)*
Even Ten Hag’s patience with Antony was wearing thin last season. Although his ownerless paintings rarely go unnoticed, the 24-year-old’s goals and assists in his two seasons at Old Trafford are not those of an £86million winger. Actively looking to sell Antony, however, he is in the category of players they would be willing to give up for.
Amad (2025)*
Amad’s 121st-minute goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals was arguably the highlight of United’s season, indeed before beating Manchester City in the final at Wembley, but their chances were limited :d First by a knee injury, then because of Ten Hag’s injury. preference. for the others on the right. If Amad wants to be part of United’s long-term future, a contract will need to be negotiated.
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Facundo Pellistri (2025)*
One of the most successful loan spells for the United side last season, Pellistri scored twice and assisted twice in 15 La Liga games for Granada. The 22-year-old failed to have a positive effect when he started at United. The first organizational-level Champions League match, a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in September, and it was a similar story on his other fleeting opportunities. With Amad ahead of him in the pecking order, some other loan or permanent exit would not be an option. surprise.
Marco Rashford (2028)
Rashford’s contract does not include a one-year extension clause. Last summer’s renewal was a compliment for the most productive singles season of his career, putting him in the same category as United’s highest-paid players, although inconsistent performances followed. United are not yet blatantly looking to sell Rashford; like Fernandes, he is not considered off-limits if they get a really extensive offer and an explicit preference to leave. United’s preference is to remain the 26-year-old.
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Alejandro Garnacho (2028)
Despite recently signing his long-term contract, the 19-year-old and his representatives are keen to renew his terms – and United are in a position to do so.
Jadón Sancho (2026)*
Except for the mother of all descendants, Sancho’s differences with Ten Hag are yet to be resolved and at least one more season awaits him away from Old Trafford. United’s preference is a permanent sale for an initial value of £40m, with interest from Bundesliga and Serie A clubs.
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Rasmus Hojlund (2028)*
A total of 16 goals in all competitions is a moderate setback for a 20/21-year-old centre-forward in his first year in English football. Following the departure of Anthony Martial, United are exploring a deal to sign the 23-year-old. -Former Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee. Hojlund would be relieved of the burden of leading United’s attack if he were to join him, but his minutes could also be affected.
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Green wooden mason (2025)*
Although Ratcliffe has left the door open for Greenwood to return, United’s priority is to ensure a permanent departure. Juventus, Napoli, Lazio and Valencia are interested. All features remain open, adding a return to United, but securing a £40m. Payment is the priority and would give the Old Trafford hierarchy more wiggle room in the removal market.
Ethan Wheatley (2026)
While a memorable season ended with 3 trophies won through United’s under-18s, Wheatley was the only member of Adam Lawrence’s squad to make his senior debut, making 3 appearances as a replacement towards the end of the campaign. Wheatley signed his first professional contract in January. , which will run until 2026. The Stockport-born striker is expected to remain on the fringes of the first team as a third-choice centre-forward while he revels in the under-21s, before potentially leaving on loan.
Additional reporting: Guillermo Rai
(Main photos: Getty Images)