Manchester United have begun launching plans for next season this week confirming that Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard will leave the club later this month.
The trio are all out of contract on June 30 and United have announced that none of them will have their agreements renewed. They have been followed by Lee Grant, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani when they are shown the starting line-up this summer as new coach Erik ten Hag plans to oversee radical changes to his squad.
Former interim coach Ralf Rangnick has also left Old Trafford, and the club announced last Sunday that he will not move to his planned consultancy post. However, this week there has been a new addition to the club in the form of Andy O’Boyle, who has become United’s new assistant football director.
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With the changes that have taken place on and off the pitch, United are now preparing for what promises to be one of the busiest summer transfer periods they have faced in recent years. Ten Hag is expected to add several new faces to his team, and with the window opening on June 10, emotion levels are starting to rise.
Friday, MEN’S SPORTS United’s chief writer Samuel Luckhurst organized a question and answer session to try to answer as many questions as possible that United fans had for him, with those in the transfer window, the future of Frenkie of Jong and much, much more.
Q: Given the number of departures this summer, it’s more important than ever for United to start moving early in hiring. But the goals that have been linked are likely to be long overdue. Can you reassure the nervous fans that negotiations and some imminent agreements are really taking place?
SL: My job is not to “calm down” the fans, as I am not on the club’s payroll, nor am I a spokesperson or cheerleader. United should do the reassuring, if they wish.
Interestingly, the City president specified this week how many more players they would sign (I wrote a couple of weeks ago that they wanted a left-back and a midfielder). You don’t get it from United and when David Gill promised “two world class players” in 2006, they got it [Michael] Carrick i [Tomasz] Kuszczak. It still worked well in 2006-07.
United are in talks with a number of agents, but many, if not all, targets will be in international service, the club’s top decision-makers have recently left, the two highest-profile hunters have left and the coach said only last week carry out its own analysis.
United would never have a summer like 2007, when Nani, Anderson and [Owen] The hargreaves were sewn before June.
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Q: How is the Frenkie deal going and is it true that Xavi told you about the economy?
SL: The Catalan economy? The Spanish economy? I don’t follow it at all. If Barcelona definitely decides to sell De Jong, they won’t be allowed to stay, that’s the last thing I heard.
United fans must also review their history. De Jong has made it very clear that he wants to stay at Barcelona. Who else sold a Spanish club to United when they didn’t want to go to United? Angel Of Mary.
It would be hypocritical for United to proceed with any deal for De Jong when he has publicly stated that he does not want a transfer and that the resumption of the club’s recruitment was mainly focused on the goals invested in playing for United. Pogba has just left United and did not invest in playing with them for at least four and a half years. Be careful what you want.
Q: Why are there no ties to a defensive midfielder? Our whole window seems to be centered on De Jong when we also need another CM. It is very worrying.
SL: I don’t think he’s “focused” on De Jong. Do fans ignore what he said at the Dutch camp this week? It is so relevant that if United made sense, they would look at their list again.
If De Jong passes, it will be only because of Ten Hag’s powers of persuasion. Pogba wanted to join Real Madrid in 2016, but Mino Raiola convinced him to rejoin United on the condition that he move to Real Madrid three years ago. Raiola tried but failed.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is on the radar of Manchester United. (Image: David S. Bustamante / Socrates / Getty Images.)
Q: Given that United are looking for a CB, is there any chance they have experienced Premier League players like Tyrone Mings?
SL: I don’t understand why some fans keep mentioning Tyrone Mings? He is 29 years old, had a terrible season at Aston Villa and has just been eliminated from the English national team. Is it because he is left-wing? It’s the kind of signing you could have imagined for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Q: Do you expect Andreas Pereira to be an integral part of the Ten Hag team?
SL: For the good of United, hope not. I suspect your camp is embellishing some comments from United and United should also be positive to maintain their resale value in case a buyer comes this summer. He is a player they need to reduce their losses.
If United really value it, they will break up without repair. Flamengo had to be sold to the club’s financial problems. This summer looks like 2019 and that was the summer Pereira got a new four-year contract and Solskjaer suggested that he and [Scott] McTominay could replace him [Ander] Herrera i [Marouane] Fellaini. Herrera and Fellaini symbolize intoxicating days compared to recent years.
Q: With the football assistant director now confirmed, we’re likely to end up with some restructuring or more to come, for example, the role of Matt Judge, the scouts who left, and so on. Also, is there any progress on possible starters? At the moment we feel pretty calm, apart from the goals that are being set, and if we want to get players for the preseason, ideally we should move on!
SL: The Scouting Department is being streamlined and is likely to make key additions to fill the gaps left by [Marcel] Bout i [Jim] Lawlor. I’m not sure the title of “head of global Scouting” existed before Bout somehow got it in 2016 (he helped Louis Van Gaal with the signings, United weren’t happy with the success rate of Van Gaal but kept Bout).
United was expecting a quiet start to June, so I’m not surprised it’s still quiet. Given the necessary reconstruction and the previous start, they will almost certainly make offers in August.
I agree that they need a couple of key signings later this month for these players to go on the preseason tour. There’s no way they have all the bases covered in time for the first game of the season, no matter Liverpool in Bangkok on July 12th.
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Q: I noticed that the other day you mentioned David Carmo. Is there anything else about your potential transfer?
SL: Nothing more than what was reported the other day. There is an acceptance of his field that is not United’s main goal as a center-back. Carmo would like to finish in the Premier League this summer.
Q: Are there any updates on Dean Henderson? According to your story last week, it seemed likely to go away, but wouldn’t Ten Hag want to have a chance to evaluate it first? He’s someone you’d think he’d like – to be an active and better sweeper with his feet, and I think you reported that he wanted him while he was at Ajax!
SL: In fact. But from everything I’ve been told it’s allowed to go on loan (again). The “hurdle” to getting it going is that United wants a guaranteed, shaped backup.
The goalkeeper’s situation could be re-evaluated (again) next year. De Gea has stayed still and Henderson is more in line with “modern” goalkeepers. But if you need a goalkeeper on the net to stop an Exocet, De Gea is probably still the best. You’ve had enough practice, mind you.
Q: Do you think Amad and Facundo Pellistri will have a chance this summer? Also, as far as John Murtough is concerned, there is a feeling in the world of football / Man Utd that he is really good enough to be the football director of Man Utd; is it good enough for what you hear?
SL: I think at least one will be on the staff when the window closes. There has been an offensive exodus, [Anthony] Martial could go too, [Marcus] Rashford has not yet clarified his role, [Anthony] Elanga operated above his lime, [Mason] Greenwood is not available indefinitely, etc. United invested £ 46m in Amad and Pellistri.
The coach has changed, but this coach barely plays them. He summed it up in the Derby last July when Pellistri and Solskjaer were interviewing simultaneously. Pellistri said he wanted to stay and Solskjaer suggested he be released again.
I can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone say it’s “good enough,” but it’s recently gained autonomy. The club has wanted to talk about his work with the academy, which has materialized in recent years, and is as excited about this arm of the club as anyone who works at United.
A great summer awaits Erik ten Hag and Manchester United football director John Murtough (right). (Image: Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images.)
He was appointed football director in part for his work with the academy (which he briefly co-directed with former club secretary and Liverpool fan John Alexander) and for recruiting for the 2018 women’s team. first team is very important. jump, of course. He has also rejected some competitors (Nicky Butt) for the role he now holds.
Murtough is a friendly guy looking to improve on United and is busy right now, as he should be. It’s still too early to judge if he’s up to par, but his first major decision was to hire Rangnick. If Ten Hag succeeds, so will Murtough.
Q: Is there any real interest in Aaron Wan-Bissaka right now, and what price would they accept? You mentioned we buy to get rid of AWB, Henderson and [Brandon] Williams so far, but who else is on sale?
SL: I suspect …