Every player Man Utd got rid of in ruthless summer clearout – and who should be next

Manchester United have once again been among the biggest spenders in Europe this summer.

The Red Devils have splashed around £200 million to sign Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee in an effort to equip Erik ten Hag with a squad capable of competing for a top-four Premier League finish.

But what sets Man Utd’s 2024 summer business apart from past years is that they have also shipped out several players, recouping almost £90 million in fee received.

The squad clear-out overseen by the club’s new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos group was long overdue. But if the new regime hopes to draw a clear line under years of mismanagement overseen by the Glazers, there is work left to be done.

The clear-out

Scott McTominay

Ten Hag was reluctant to lose midfielder Scott McTominay, who’d been with the club since the age of five and accumulated more than 250 first-team appearances.

But with United walking a tightrope in terms of complying with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, the £25.7 million fee received from his sale to Napoli late in the window eased such concerns and has aided the £50 million arrival of Manuel Ugarte.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

A £50 million signing in 2019, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was brought in from Crystal Palace with the view that he’d anchor the right side of United’s backline for a decade or more.

But while the Croydon-born full-back remains one of the best one-v-one defenders in the Premier League, he never significantly improved on the technical limitations that held him back as an attacking force. His £15 million move to West Ham was a good deal for all parties.

Jadon Sancho

After patching up his differences with Ten Hag over the summer, Jadon Sancho was welcomed back into the first-team fold at Old Trafford following a loan spell back with Borussia Dortmund over the second half of last season.

But the England winger never truly settled at United after a £73 million switch from Dortmund in 2021, with just 83 appearances and 12 goals for the club. In the final hours of the window, United brokered a deal to send Sancho on loan to Chelsea with the Blues obligated to buy the 24-year-old next summer for a fee in the region of £25 million.

Mason Greenwood

Although criminal charges were dropped, United’s internal investigation in allegations against Mason Greenwood of sexual abuse concluded that the striker would have no future at the club.

Loaned last season to Getafe in La Liga, Greenwood was sold to Marseille this summer for £23 million. The 22-year-old former England forward has already scored five goals from his first three Ligue 1 games for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

Raphael Varane

A £41 million signing from Real Madrid in 2021, four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane was seen as a potentially transformative addition for United at the time.

But for all the World Cup winner’s undoubted calibre, Varane battled injuries throughout his time at Old Trafford, starting fewer than half of the club’s Premier League fixtures in his three seasons with United.

As his contract wound down at the end of last season and a departure as a free agent drew near, Varane wound back the clock one last time to put in a stellar display as United upset Manchester City to win the FA Cup. He signed with Como in the summer but is already facing a long period out injured.

Anthony Martial

Another player who was allowed to leave on a free this summer, Anthony Martial’s nine years as a United player will mostly be reflected on with disappointment.

Arriving from Monaco as a 19-year-old in a £36 million deal back in 2015, the Frenchman got off to an electric start to life in England by scoring a magnificent solo goal to beat Liverpool at Old Trafford on his debut.

But aside from the 2019-20 campaign, when he scored 23 goals in 48 appearances, Martial never consistently delivered on his potential. He is yet to find a new club since departing Manchester.

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Facundo Pellistri

Uruguayan winger Facundo Pellistri arrived at United from Penarol in his homeland in 2020.

After developmental loan spells in La Liga with Alaves, he made 14 appearances for United over the first half of last season.

But despite his industry on the right flank, the 22-year-old failed to demonstrate the requisite quality make the grade at Old Trafford. He was loaned to Granada last January before signing for Greek side Panathinaikos this summer for an initial £5.1 million.

Hannibal Mejbri

Hannibal Mejbri’s time with United will be best remembered for his first and, ultimately, only senior goal for the club, a spectacular 25-yard strike in a 3-1 loss to Brighton early last season.

The wild-haired midfielder was signed from Monaco as a teenager before being nurtured in United’s academy. But after loans with Birmingham City and Sevilla, he was never able to establish himself in the Old Trafford first team. He’s signed for Burnley in a deal worth up to £9.4 million.

Willy Kambwala

A spate of defensive injuries last season led to then-teenage French defender Willy Kambwala making eight Premier League appearances for United.

And while the young centre-back impressed with his athleticism and energy, there was a lack of refinement to his game that left him short of the standard needed for a long-term starting berth. He’s joined Villarreal for a fee that could rise as high as £9.7 million with add-ons. The deal also includes a buyback option and a sell-on percentage for United.

Donny van de Beek

The forgotten man of Old Trafford, former Netherlands international midfielder Donny van de Beek was once one of the stars of an Ajax side who, under Ten Hag, reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

It was seen as a bargain when United signed him for £40 million in 2020. But after just 32 Premier League appearances and two goals, he has now finally left to join Girona for a miserly initial fee of around £500,000. Conditional add-ons could eventually take United’s return for the player up to £7.6 million.

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Who should be next?

Casemiro

After a dismal showing last season, Casemiro seemed destined for a lucrative switch to the Saudi Pro League this summer. But even for the cash-rich Middle Eastern top flight, the Brazilian’s £400,000-a-week earnings have proven too much to stomach.

So the four-time Champions League winner remains at Old Trafford, a sad shadow of a once-great defensive midfielder. The extent of his rapid decline was evidenced by his performance in a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in United’s third league game of the season, in which he was taken off at half-time after two individual errors led directly to goals for United’s rivals.

Christian Eriksen

Eriksen is another player who seemed to be heading for the Old Trafford exit door, with Ajax linked with a move to bring back their former midfield star.

But Eriksen’s wages and United’s reported £5 million asking price proved too high for the Dutch club. The Danish playmaker saw his Premier League starts last season drop to just 12, down from 25 the year before.

So far this season, he has seen just four minutes of action, while Manuel Ugarte’s arrival only pushes the former Spurs man further down the pecking order.

Antony

An £82 million signing from Ajax just two years ago, Brazilian winger Antony was a target personally identified by Ten Hag, yet he has fallen so far down the list of the Dutch coach’s preferred attacking options that he has featured in just one minute of Premier League game time so far this term.

Antony provided just one league goal and one assist last season and is now widely regarded as one of the worst signings in the club’s history. He reportedly remains keen to stay and fight for his future at Old Trafford, but United should consider cutting their losses on their second most expensive signing of all time.

Victor Lindelof

Victor Lindelof started 14 Premier League games for United last season, but the arrivals of De Ligt and Yoro mean he will struggle to replicate that figure in 2024-25.

The Swede, who was signed from Benfica for £38 million in 2017, has racked up more than 250 appearances for the Red Devils. But through injuries and inconsistencies, he has never lived up to the billing that followed his arrival.

Now 30 and a target for multiple clubs in Turkey, Lindelof should have been moved on this summer.

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