How to fix Man United: Sell Casemiro, Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire, rebuild Marcus Rashford and sign a new striker
Erik ten Hag is here to stay at Manchester United. What he does in the next few months will determine how long for.
The Dutchman secured his status as Man United manager with an FA Cup final win against Manchester City on May 25, and despite the club holding talks with other coaches, they decided there was no one better.
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By ‘the club’ we mean new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe who is in charge of footballing matters, and who is now set for his first real window of change back home in Manchester.
A deal to purchase his minority stake in the club was completed in December, but this summer transfer window presents his first chance to restructure a squad in desperate need of help.
Despite United’s FA Cup glory, it papered over their worst-ever Premier League finish of eighth, during a campaign that saw hammerings from Crystal Palace, Newcastle and even Bourenmouth.
It means that Ten Hag, who is still yet to agree terms on a new deal, has his work cut out, and so does Ratcliffe.
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This won’t just be a summer of signing a few big names and going again; the squad, like the club and stadium, is in need of repair.
talkSPORT’s Chief Football Correspondent Alex Crook gives us five areas that need to be fixed if the 2024/25 season is going to be one that United fans remember for the right reasons.
Get Marcus Rashford firing again
Rashford had a brilliant season a couple of years ago - 30 goals in all competitions. He looked like he was really prospering under the tutelage of Ten Hag and striker coach Benni McCarthy.
That form absolutely fell off a cliff last season. He was dreadful. The body language was poor. There was very little output in terms of goals or assists. And in the end, it was harder to make a case for keeping Rashford in the team and dropping him. And of course, he paid the price by not being named in Gareth Southgate's squad to make the trip here to Germany.
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There is some interest from Paris Saint-Germain, but the indications from the Rashford camp is that he wants to stay at United, rebuild his somewhat fractured relationship with Ten Hag and get back to his best form. If he can do that, then Rashford and United could well be a force once again in the Premier League and in Europe next season, where, of course, they are in the Europa League, having won the FA Cup final against Manchester City in May.
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Lose the deadwood
There are a lot of players in this squad that I think Ten Hag would like to move on. Harry Maguire nearly left to join West Ham last summer. He had an okay season, but I don't think the England defender is really good enough to get United back to where they want to be in terms of the top four and maybe even pushing champions Manchester City for the Premier League title.
The same can be said of Casemiro. He had an excellent first season at United and looked like that transformational midfield signing the club have been crying out for, but his legs have clearly gone at the top level as Jamie Carragher has alluded to. There's interest from Saudi Arabia. I'm not sure he's totally convinced by joining the Saudi Pro League, but United need to get rid of him, and they need decent money in as well in order to rebuild the squad.
Other players I'd let go, Victor Lindelof is again not quite good enough for where Manchester United want to be. Mason Greenwood, for reasons non-football, I think will leave the club. There's interest from Italy, from Germany, from Spain and from Portugal. The sooner United get that deal done, and if they can get the £40million they want, they can reinvest that in the squad.
And Jadon Sancho. A lot of non-United fans were lauding his performances for Borussia Dortmund en route to the Champions League final, but his attitude, his application and actually his skill set, for me, are not good enough to be a Manchester United player. So if they can cash it on him, then I would do that as well.
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Reinforcements
There are some key areas in need of surgery this summer, not least at the heart of defence. Raphael Varane has left the football club having failed to agree terms on a new contract. He was never really fit anyway.
Lisandro Martinez missed more football than he played last season. If they can get him up to speed, and he needs a solid partner alongside him, that could be the basis of a really good Manchester United team.
We know they're keen on Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton. I don't think they're going to pay the money they want so they are looking elsewhere. Keep an eye on Jean-Clair Todibo. He plays for Sir Jim Ratcliffe's other club in France, Nice. That could cause problems, because at the moment, UEFA are blocking United signing players from the Ratcliffe umbrella and United may well challenge that legally. If they do, then Todibo could be Old Trafford-bound.
They also like Leny Yoro, a young defender at Lille, but they have interest rivalling them from Real Madrid and from Liverpool.
I don't think it's just the central defence that needs work. Luke Shaw, we've spoken a lot about him while we've been over here in Germany, in his battle to be fit for England, he missed a lot of football for Manchester United last season as well. In fact, he only averages about 18 games a season for United since he went there from Southampton. So clearly, there's a problem.
I think they need to look at bringing in a left-back. Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth; I know he's a player they think really highly of and I think that would be an excellent signing. But again, it won't come cheap. Then you look at the top end of the pitch. Anthony Martial finally has left the football club. His wage is no longer the burden they have been for the past few seasons.
That really just leaves Rasmus Hojlund as the out-and-out striker, and he needs a bit of support. He did score 16 goals in all competitions last season, but also struggled at times. They've been offered Jonathan David at Lille, that could be a bargain signing. He's available for around about €30m. He averages a goal every other game in the French league.
Another one to keep an eye on is Joshua Zirkzee - very much the surprise package of Serie A. He's over here in Germany as part of the Netherlands squad and hasn't seen much game time so far, but that's a deal that could well happen. And of course, in central midfield as well, if they lose Casemiro, I think they need somebody else in that position. At the moment, names are not exactly jumping off the page, but I'm sure it's an area where United will look to strengthen.
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Make a good start
It’s vital that United get off to a flyer. They put their faith in Erik ten Hag despite the fact they flirted with the prospect of hiring the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi, Thomas Frank and even Fulham's Marco Silva, which would have been a bit of a baffling appointment.
Ten Hag stays. I understand contract negotiations are going well, and he's likely to sign a two-year extension to his deal. That will give him the power that he needs in what is a fractious dressing room.
They need to really prove that the victory against Man City in the FA Cup final wasn't a one off. They need to build on that momentum. They've got Fulham at home on the opening night of the season, live on talkSPORT, on that Friday evening. That should be a perfect opportunity to get off to a winning start.
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There's a couple of difficult away games in the first few fixtures. They didn't get any momentum at all last season. They were utterly abysmal in the opening day victory against Wolves, lucky to get that 1-0 win, and they never really improved from there so I think they need a good pre-season.
They need to keep their players fit and if they start well, who knows what Manchester United can achieve under Ten Hag.”
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