Manchester United have gone from having three untouchable players to zero and they need to make a sale or two if Ruben Amorim is to improve his squad this month.
It’s time to revisit our Red Devils keep or sell from last June and see what has changed.
Andre Onana: Keep
Onana is still capable of some dodgy moments but replacing their No. 1 goalkeeper is the least of Man Utd’s worries right now.
Altay Bayindir: Sell
Every top club wants a decent back-up goalkeeper but Bayindir is rarely called upon and is wasting his career at Old Trafford.
Tom Heaton: Keep
What would be the point in selling him?
Diogo Dalot: Keep
Dalot has been more shaky than expected as a wing-back in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 but we rate him pretty highly. Our stance might change over time if Amorim signs Nuno Mendes or someone else to play left-wing-back.
It’s worth noting that we recommended keeping Aaron Wan-Bissaka, which Man Utd most certainly did not do. He might have been a solid option at right-centre-back. I guess we’ll never know.
Noussair Mazraoui: Keep
Mazraoui has been Man Utd’s signing of the season by a long way and he was the cheapest of the lot.
Victor Lindelof: Sell
Depth at centre-back is important considering Amorim wants three of them on the pitch but Lindelof is injury prone, not good enough and out of contract in the summer. If Man Utd can get a fee for him this month, they will have done very well.
Matthijs de Ligt: Keep
There is only one summer signing the Red Devils should consider selling or loaning and De Ligt is not one of them, even if he was Liverpool’s player of the match last weekend.
Harry Maguire: Keep
Maguire in the middle of a back three is the best version of Maguire. He can be very useful under Amorim.
Jonny Evans: Keep
Like with Heaton, what would be the point in trying to flog a 37-year-old Evans?
Leny Yoro: Keep
Many in the game believe French teenager Yoro is destined to become one of the best centre-backs in world football. Man Utd were chuffed to beat Real Madrid to his signature but we all know who the player’s first choice was and the Premier League club had to fork out £50m because they knew he would go to Spain for nothing next year if they didn’t.
Lisandro Martinez: Keep
Martinez might be the best finisher at the club because what the f**k was that at Anfield? He could teach Rasmus Hojlund a thing or two.
Luke Shaw: Sell
Man Utd are at their wit’s end with Shaw, who can’t seem to string together three consecutive appearances at the age of 29.
His injury problems are becoming far too persistent and it’s about time the club cut ties. Shaw could be one of the best defenders in Europe if he wasn’t injury prone, but he is and that is proving to be really quite annoying.
Tyrell Malacia: Sell
It’s clearly time for a reset on the left. Malacia is not good enough to start for Man Utd but is a handy back-up, which should not match his ambitions.
MAN UTD FEATURES FROM F365
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Manuel Ugarte: Keep
Ugarte’s start has been pretty slow but there have been some very promising performances since his summer transfer from PSG. It’s important to remember that he is only 23.
Casemiro: Sell
This is the biggest no-brainer in the entire squad. Man Utd have been praying for Saudi Arabia to rescue them from Casemiro’s colossal contract and this should finally be the transfer window for them, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr keen on signing the Brazilian.
Kobbie Mainoo: Keep
Mainoo inspired us to revisit this particular idea as there have been reports of Sir Jim Ratcliffe becoming open to offers for every single player. Mainoo, Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho were deemed ‘untouchable’ last March but not anymore.
An Old Trafford exit is very unlikely for the academy graduate, who is someone Amorim should build around. He needs a new contract first, though.
READ MORE: Kobbie Mainoo to Chelsea? Man Utd fans would rather take PSR hit
Toby Collyer: Loan
Give the boy some first-team experience, will ya?
Christian Eriksen: Sell
Eriksen is another out of contract at the end of the season and Man Utd would do well to get a fee for him in January, but there is no harm in trying.
Mason Mount: Sell
But to who? Injuries have been the story of Mount’s Man Utd career. He just can’t stay fit, which is an incredible shame, because he is a fantastic player capable of playing anywhere in midfield and off the striker.
Bruno Fernandes: Keep
Finding a place in his team for club captain Fernandes should be as much of a priority for Amorim as new signings. He is the only world-class player in this Man Utd squad and needs to find his groove, just as he did under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Antony: Sell
Not good enough and the sooner he is sold the quicker people will forget he cost £80million.
Amad Diallo: Keep
Amad just signed a new contract and has been the best attacking player under Amorim.
Marcus Rashford: Sell
Player and club are on the same page and plenty of managers seem interested in being the one to resurrect Rashford’s career. Where will he end up, though?
PSG, Milan, Dortmund, Napoli, Barcelona, Juventus and Monaco have all been linked this week and Barca surprisingly seem the most likely destination, though it will only happen if Ronald Araujo is sold to Juve.
Amorim is either not a fan of Rashford as a player or a person or has been told he has no future by Sir Jim Ratcliffe or one of his minions. The Man Utd co-owner wants rid of his huge £325,000-a-week salary and you can’t blame him. Rashford’s performances over the last 18 months make him one of the most overpaid people in the world.
Rashford staying and getting his career back on track to become a club legend is a lovely thought but it will not develop into anything more than just that.
RASHFORD RUMOURS ON F365:
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Alejandro Garnacho: Sell
Perhaps the only controversial shout here. It is definitely the most controversial anyway. Garnacho’s form this season has been rubbish and if we are being very critical, he had a decent second half to last season, which has prompted Man Utd fans to overrate him and ultimately set him up to disappoint and go from the next big thing to another underperforming loser.
As a homegrown player, Garnacho can be sold for pure profit, which is gold dust nowadays with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules striking fear into everyone. He came from Atletico Madrid, who reportedly want him back, and if they come in with a tempting offer, we think the Red Devils should take it. He isn’t actually that good, is he? Not as valuable as Mainoo, Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund anyway.
Rasmus Hojlund: Keep
Hojlund has been nowhere near good enough since joining Man Utd for a ridiculously large fee from Atalanta in the summer of 2023, but we sympathise with him. He was screwed over by the lack of depth last season and wasn’t really given any time to adapt to the Premier League, which was evident in his performances in the first half of last campaign.
You might say a £60m signing should not be allowed that long to adapt but not even Man Utd are naive enough to expect a guy with nine Serie A goals in 2022/23 to be the immediate answer to their problems. In the end, a goal every three matches in the Premier League was a decent return all things considered.
Hojlund probably should have kicked on more this term and his goalscoring numbers have again been rescued by a stellar showing in Europe, but we have faith and can’t see any positives from actively looking to sell him.
Joshua Zirkzee: Sell
Is our stance on Zirkzee ironic considering how we just defended Hojlund? You could say that, but you could see there was something in Hojlund last year and the pressure was greater; we have seen nothing from Zirkzee besides a tidy goal on his debut. His best position is unclear and he doesn’t strike us as a Premier League footballer.
