Abhishek Nandwani
Players Manchester United should sell following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been sacked as manager of Manchester United following a string of bad results over the last month, which saw Red Devils lose to arch-rivals Liverpool and Manchester City. But the final nail in the coffin was delivered this Saturday after their 4-1 loss to Watford.
It’s always easy for the fans and critics to blame the manager whenever the team is not doing up to the mark but the reality at the United is a bit different. Although Ole was not that tactically sound as compared to the other managers, but some players in this squad have been below par for quite a while now.
Some of them have been consistently woeful and have been a disgrace when it comes to playing for the badge. Here are a few players which United should allow to leave in the upcoming transfer window or the summer.
Anthony Martial: The striker needs to be on top of the list when it comes to the outgoing from Old Trafford. The Frenchman has been struggling with fitness over a few months now, and whenever given chance to prove himself – he has failed consistently. At the moment, he is well behind the pecking order as well.
Likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edison Cavani and Mason Greenwood are the players who are way ahead of him on a role of No.9. The 25-year-old was purchased from Monaco for £36million (potentially rising to £58m) in 2015 and was touted as next Thierry Henry but he has not shown any glimpse of that.
Fred: Despite being a revelation for his national side Brazil – he seems to be clueless when it comes to playing for United. Ole always trusted Fred in the middle of the park and despite that he has given several below-par performances this season. He has always been outplayed and dominated by the opponents’ midfielders.
The defensive midfielder has been too erratic and error-prone and has never looked commanding and confident on the ball. He is surely not a DM solution for United and there are many players out there who can be an upgrade on him.
Paul Pogba: He is almost certain to leave Man United on free next summer as his contract is set to expire next summer. As of now he along with his agent Mino Raiola are total liabilities to United and the club should not even think of offering him a new deal. Pogba during his five and a half years at Old Trafford as far has never performed consistently on the pitch despite being one of the prized assets and his off the field antics have always given United fans more of a headache than joy.
His agent has always flirted with an idea of exit and has given controversial statements here and there before big games every now on then. Last year, ahead of United’s crucial Champions League game against RB Leipzig, the Italian agent stated that Pogba has no desire to stay at United. Going forward United hierarchy is better off without Pogba and his agent.
Phil Jones: Not much needs to be said when it comes to Phil Jones. Red Devils need to sell him keeping in mind the torrid time the defender has had over the past few years now. He has battled with injuries and hasn’t played for United since January 2020.
The Red Devils already have the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Eric Eric Bailly as centre backs – so it will be best for both the parties to part ways for their good. Jones was oddly handed a new four-year deal at the club back in 2019 despite his injury problems and inconsistency.
Jesse Lingard: His performances at United have always been inconsistent throughout his career and given the amount of talent attacking wise the club has now, it’s next to impossible for him to be regular at this club. He has put in a few decent performances this time around but he never had the full trust of former manager Ole.
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His contract is set to expire in the summer and has already denied signing a new one – so it’s high time that the management offloads him in the upcoming transfer window. The 28-year-old is linked to a move to West Ham United in January and it will be a good move for everyone. The player will get regular playing time which he is looking for and United will cut their losses as well.
