Man Utd ready to oust TWO stars from same position who can’t handle basic instruction

A Manchester United icon has torn into the club for their inability to do one simple thing in games, and two players – both of whom Fabrizio Romano has confirmed could leave in 2026 – are under the microscope.

Another season, another crisis at Man Utd. The Red Devils are in the midst of their worst start to a season in 33 years and with no European campaign to speak of and bounced out of the League Cup by Grimsby Town, the chances of lifting silverware already look remote.

The latest punishing defeat came on Sunday when Man Utd were thumped in the derby. Sky Sports brought news of United’s hierarchy believing the 3-0 scoreline was not reflective of United’s display. Others might argue United were lucky to only lose by three.

When looking back at what Man Utd have become in recent times, club legend, Rio Ferdinand, bemoaned their complete inability to assert control in games.

Controlling the tempo within matches is largely the responsibility of a team’s central midfielders and primarily the the defensive-minded ones.

Rodri is the perfect example of a player who dictates the play at Man City, while Martin Zubimendi has been tasked with doing the same at Arsenal.

At Man Utd, the task falls upon the shoulders of whoever starts between Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. And if the comments of Ferdinand on his YouTube channel are anything to go by, neither are covering themselves in glory.

Ferdinand said: “We played in the icons game, right? And that’s what I felt with [Michael] Carrick. I get the ball at the back, I get pressed by a forward, and Carrick just appears out of nowhere, behind the curtain, and he’s like my release button.

“Boom, I pass it to him, and it goes out the other way or comes back to me, punches it back. [Man Utd] don’t do that now.

“I don’t want to dwell on our time, but there’s no recycling of the ball, go into one area, come back out the other way.

“There’s no feeling of control. The word ‘control’ is not something you associate with this Man United team.

“It’s like: we score, you score. You get a chance, we get a chance. You can’t win a lot of games like that, it becomes a lottery.

“That’s where we are at the moment. The ball goes up to the forwards; there’s no real care, no real quality sometimes. And I’m like, come on, man.”

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Casemiro AND Ugarte both leaving in 2026?

Man Utd made club-to-club contact with Brighton for the signing of Carlos Baleba over the summer.

The Seagulls made it crystal clear Baleba would not be on the move this year, while United were content to wait until 2026 before revisiting the deal rather than sign an inferior second choice.

Come next summer, Man Utd are highly likely to let Casemiro go. The veteran’s contract expires at season’s end and while there’s an option for an extra 12 months, it’s not expected to be triggered.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed Casemiro is likely in his ‘final season’ at Old Trafford. More recently, reports in Casemiro’s native Brazil revealed the midfielder is on board with the current campaign being his last at Man Utd.

Ugarte, meanwhile, was the subject of loan interest from Serie A sides in the final stages of the summer window.

Man Utd had no intention of sanctioning a loan exit while not signing a replacement, just as they had no intention of granting Kobbie Mainoo’s request to leave on loan either.

However, Romano revealed on Tuesday that should the Serie A sides return with offers to sign Ugarte permanently, the outcome could well be different.

“I can reveal to you that, for Manuel Ugarte, there was a possibility of an exit this summer,” said Romano.

“For example, Italian clubs were interested in Ugarte, but Manchester United decided to close the doors to an eventual loan move, so this is why nothing happened.

“For Manuel Ugarte, we’ll have to see if some club will arrive with a permanent deal proposal in 2026, because this might change the situation.”

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