There is a long list of tasks that Erik ten Hag has to supervise in his first few weeks as Manchester United’s new coach. You need to set transfer goals with the recruiting team, determine which players are in your plans for the new campaign, decide which players can go free in the summer window, and how you really want your team to prepare. for the start of the preseason. .
The first group of United players will return to Carrington for the official start of the pre-season on June 27, with those currently out of international service for a staggered return depending on when their respective commitments with the national team end. national.
Ten Hag will need the support of their rebounding staff to make those decisions, and they should also play a key role in another task to consider this summer: deciding on the future of those players nearing the end of their contracts next year.
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This is even more important after Matt Judge’s resignation in April, with Ed Woodward’s right hand man following the former executive vice president through the door.
Judge was understood to be the man who sounded the agents and measured whether the players wanted to come, and was often the point of contact that represented the two United players in the negotiations on new agreements and the players in which the United he was interested.
Football manager John Murtough and his assistant Andy O’Boyle will now have to help take care of these matters, and for the new season, United have eight players coming to the last year of contract at the club.
Marcus Rashford, Fred, David de Gea, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot could technically leave for free within a year, although the club is expected to activate clauses in all its agreements to keep them for another year. .
Even if they do, they will only extend five first-team players until 2024 and will still have to try to establish clarity about their future before re-entering the final year of their deal in a year, less the safety net.
Fred and Shaw have been linked to new deals for some time, and De Gea could also be offered new terms if Ten Hag sees him as a suitable long-term option to the goal.
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If not, it might make sense to let the Spaniard leave for free instead of offering him a new contract, as he might have a hard time changing his book salary along with a transfer fee in the next few years. years.
Rashford and Dalot are young and both could be given additional responsibility under the new manager, although if for some reason they are not considered crucial to the long-term project under Ten Hag, similar ruthless decisions may need to be made. .
Cristiano Ronaldo, Phil Jones and Tom Heaton will also be without a contract next year, although the three are less confident that they will be offered new terms to extend their current stays at the club.
Ronaldo’s long-term future remains uncertain as he turns 38 next year, while Jones is considered over-required this summer. Heaton could become the new No. 2 if Dean Henderson leaves.
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Performances during the preseason and early stages of the new campaign can influence who Ten Hag wants to keep long-term, and should make the final decision on which players will be offered new offers at the club.
While it may still seem a while before any of these players can leave for free, it is important for United to determine which players could be at risk of losing, as they could be sold in one of the next transfer periods while still retaining some market value.
United did not have any long-term plans in recent years and paid the price for it. Now they have to make one if they want to make sure they don’t pay the price of losing more players for free.
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