Manchester United legend, Gary Neville, has named four players who he believes should leave the club this summer. The list includes Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho. This comes amidst an unprecedented summer of change at Old Trafford following a disappointing campaign.
The previous season was one to forget for Manchester United fans as Ruben Amorim’s men finished with the club’s lowest-ever points total in the Premier League. However, INEOS has shown its commitment to backing Amorim in the transfer market by facilitating Matheus Cunha's arrival from Wolves for a fee of £62.5m subject to visa approval and registration procedures.
Despite this promising start, it is clear that a major overhaul is underway at United with several first-team stars facing uncertain futures and seemingly heading for the exit door.
Loaned out stars likely to move on
Rashford, Sancho and Antony spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, Chelsea and Real Betis respectively – each experiencing varying degrees of success. According to Neville's analysis on his show 'It’s Called Soccer', these three attacking players are likely to move on over the coming weeks.
Gary Neville, Manchester United legend, said:
‘On these five I’m pretty certain. Marcus Rashford has to leave for him and the club. I think that ship has sailed and he needs to find himself another club. I would worry that Aston Villa haven’t announced that they’re keeping him already because I think that could have been an easy deal to do with United if they were going to keep him, so it sounds to me like Villa aren’t going to keep him. I would say for Marcus’ sake and for United’s sake that it feels like that path has come to an end.’
‘Those four players should leave, not just because Manchester United should let them go, but because they should go and find themselves a place in their lives where they can go and play football because it’s not at Old Trafford.’
Neville argued that all three needed to make way along with Garnacho – who recently had a public falling out with Amorim - in order for United to rebuild their squad effectively. While advocating for these departures, Neville stressed that Manchester United must do everything possible to prevent academy product Kobbie Mainoo from leaving. The midfielder has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford amid interest from Chelsea.
Antony's exit seems inevitable
Antony enjoyed an impressive return to form during his loan spell at Real Betis, racking up nine goals and five assists for the La Liga club. Despite this, he has expressed his desire to end his United spell. Neville feels that given Antony's clear intentions, the club has little option but to sanction the Brazilian’s exit.
The summer promises a period of significant change at Manchester United as they look to bounce back from a disappointing season. While some departures seem inevitable, it is crucial that the club manages this transition wisely - retaining key talent while bringing in fresh faces to rejuvenate their squad.
