What happens next at Manchester United? It is a question that has hovered over Old Trafford since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group purchased a minority stake in the club in February. That 27.7% share secured control of football operations at the Premier League‘s biggest, and most underperforming team.
The only certainty at United is that the club, both on and off the pitch, are facing a summer of upheaval and change.
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Although manager Erik ten Hag has guided United to a second successive FA Cup final (May 25 – 10 a.m. ET; stream LIVE on ESPN+, U.S. only), his side have also endured a humiliating group stage elimination from the Champions League and the team are at risk of matching the club’s lowest-ever Premier League finish of seventh. Ten Hag’s future is in the balance, and several first-team players are already headed for the exit door or earmarked for a departure if United can find new employers willing to take on their expensive Old Trafford wages.
Some changes have already been made off the pitch by Ratcliffe and his team. CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough have left United, with Omar Berrada (CEO) and Dan Ashworth (director of football) set to replace them. Jason Wilcox has also started work as technical director after United negotiated a compensation package with Southampton to hire the former Manchester City academy director. However, any supporter expecting a quick fix this summer should think again. While there are many obvious issues to address, actually being able to do so is the challenge facing United’s new hierarchy.
Here are the key areas under scrutiny, keeping in mind that nothing will be simple.
Transfers
So many other areas are also important, but the most significant element in success or failure is player recruitment, and United have only shown consistency in this field over the past decade in the mistakes they have made.
Due to the financial restrictions imposed by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR), United will head into this summer needing to offload high earners and generate transfer income to release funds for the recruitment of new signings. Sources have told ESPN that United do have headroom to add to the squad, but a net spend of £100 million is likely to be the limit of expenditure.
Raphaël Varane and Anthony Martial will leave as free agents, and their departures will free up around £450,000-a-week in wages. Christian Eriksen is attracting interest from Turkey and will be allowed to leave for a fee with a year left on his contract, while sources have said that Victor Lindelöf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire — all out of contract in 2025 — could leave for suitable offers unless they’re prepared to sign new contracts on reduced terms.
Casemiro is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, while United will listen to offers for Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek (on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively). Mason Greenwood, on loan at Getafe, is another who could leave if a club meets United’s valuation of the forward.
Marcus Rashford‘s future is also in doubt, but having signed a £300,000-a-week five-year contract last summer, the England forward is generating little interest. Sources have said that speculation linking Rashford with Paris Saint-Germain is wide of the mark, with the Champions League semifinalists identifying AC Milan forward Rafael Leão as a preferred option to replace the departing Kylian Mbappé.
While United are keen to overhaul their squad, sources have said that finding clubs prepared to sign their high earners is proving to be challenging. One source told ESPN that the only clubs with freedom to spend, aside from Manchester City, are likely to be teams such as Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion who have made big profits in the transfer market in recent windows. Yet neither are expected to be in the market for United’s unwanted high earners, while the likes of City will be targeting world-class signings rather than Ten Hag’s fringe players.
In Europe, sources have said that United are aware that the major clubs in Spain, Italy and Germany will not be big spenders. The only markets that United believe could offer opportunities to offload players are Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which are regarded as lacking appeal to the northern European players.
In a nutshell, that is United’s challenge. They need to offload players who are simply not up to standard, but because of the salaries sanctioned by the previous regime, they could end up stuck in the squad for another year until their contracts expire.
But results make or break every manager and Ten Hag’s position is under threat because United have had such a miserable season. The 54-year-old has a year left to run on his contract and as reported by ESPN this week, his £9m-a-year salary will be cut by 25% next season if United fail to qualify for the Champions League. Such an outcome would also make it less expensive for Ineos to fire Ten Hag once a top-four finish becomes impossible for the team. United sit sixth heading into this weekend’s fixtures, 13 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Sources have told ESPN that Ratcliffe and his team are still planning for next season with Ten Hag as manager, but they are also assessing alternative options should they decide to make a change. However, just as the transfer market is set to be a tough one, so is the managerial recruitment business. Liverpool and Bayern Munich have seen leading targets (namely Xabi Alonso) choose to stay in their existing jobs, while Barcelona have persuaded Xavi Hernández to backtrack on his decision to quit, largely because they have seen few obvious options to replace him.
Sources have told ESPN that England manager Gareth Southgate is admired throughout United’s new hierarchy, but the 53-year-old has committed himself to England until the end of Euro 2024. United’s first preseason fixture kicks off just 24 hours after the final, so if England go all the way the timing works against Southgate.
Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton), Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Gary O’Neil (Wolverhampton Wanderers) are also under consideration, while Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel will be available as unattached managers. But sources have said that the lack of a clear choice might just force Ineos to stick with the man in charge right now, despite his perceived shortcomings.
