Former Barcelona boss Xavi has demanded Man Utd sell three key stars if he succeeds Ruben Amorim as Red Devils head coach, according to reports.
The Red Devils are having a season to forget under Amorim with the Portuguese head coach replacing Erik ten Hag in November after a poor start to the new season.
However, far from turning things around, Amorim has actually seemingly made things worse with Man Utd suffering even worse results and performances.
Man Utd are currently 14th in the Premier League after 27 matches with Amorim winning just five of his first 16 league fixtures in charge of the Red Devils.
Only five clubs in the Premier League have scored fewer goals than Man Utd as the Red Devils players show little sign of adapting to Amorim’s style of play, tactics and philosophy.
And there have been reports that Amorim could face the sack at the end of the season, with former Barcelona boss Xavi one of the names mentioned as a potential successor.
Xavi will finish his sabbatical this season before taking on a new role in the summer if the right club comes along and reports in Spain reckon that club will be Man Utd.
And a fresh report in Spain that Xavi has a ‘hit list’ of three ‘surprise names’ he wants Man Utd to ‘get rid’ of if he takes charge of the Premier League side.
It is claimed that the Catalan ‘would not be against returning to the dugout, especially if it is to take on the challenge of managing United’ but he ‘has made it clear that, if he arrives at Old Trafford, he would want a deep cleanse of the squad’.
Andre Onana, Alejandro Garnacho and Matthijs de Ligt are the three players he ‘would not count on in his project’ as Xavi ‘would not only seek to reinforce the team with players who fit into his playing philosophy, but also get rid of those who do not meet his expectations’.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man Utd ‘want’ to hijack Sociedad move for West Ham star as his future ‘takes a different direction’
👉 Man Utd target Maignan put ‘on diet’ after being deemed ‘too overweight’ by ‘desperate’ manager
👉 Amorim ‘tells friends’ he ‘made a mistake taking Man Utd job’ and is ‘shocked by how bad the players are’
The report adds:
‘Xavi wants to build a team that plays with possession, intensity and a high technical level, something he has not seen at United in recent years. To achieve this, he needs players who adapt to his system and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the team. Onana, De Ligt and Garnacho, for different reasons, do not fit this profile.’
One player Xavi or any other future Man Utd manager has been warned off signing is Paul Pogba with Mikael Silvestre insisting it’s not the right transfer to pursue, even on a free.
READ: Man Utd need £150m far more than they need Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho
Silvestre told yaysweepstakes.com: “No, I wouldn’t be tempted to sign Paul Pogba on a free transfer if I was Manchester United. I like Paul a lot but I wouldn’t because it’s going to be expensive and you don’t know physically how long it’s going to take him to get up match fitness.
“Even though he’s been out of the game for 18 months, before his ban, he wasn’t really playing that much at Juventus. He’s had a couple of injuries.
“It’s too big of a risk (to sign Pogba). If you were signing him and he was in peak fitness, he had been playing regular football, with a perfect body and mind, then it would be a no brainer, but, after what he’s been through as well, it’s extremely difficult for him.
“I wouldn’t be in favour of Manchester United bringing him back to the club again.”
