5 Players Manchester United should sell ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League Season

Manchester United is regarded as the big shots in the Premier League owing to their status of being the most decorated club in the English top-flight league. The Old Trafford-based outfit always stays at the centre of attention during the course of the transfer window due to their high-profile pursuits and global fanbase. 

Things are quite different for the Red Devils when it comes to transfer sales as they rank 6th in the list of EPL sides who have made the most profits through player sales since the 2015-16 season.

Despite having a rough start to the 2022-23 Premier League season, Erik ten Hag and his boys still finished third in the final league standings with 75 points under the helm. It was the best league performance for United since the 2017-18 EPL campaign when the gaffer Jose Mourinho led them towards the runners-up finish with 81 points. 

The Red Devils had the golden opportunity to end their FA Cup glory drought of seven years, however, their aspiration to grace the champions’ podium was demolished by the arch-rivals Manchester City. 

Erik ten Hag had a roller-coaster maiden season at the Wheels where he showcased his potential and also assured the fans about his plans to turn this club into a title contender once again. The 53-year-old Dutchman is keen to upgrade his roster for the targeted goals and has also shown intentions to lay off the players to make room for the new knights. 

Parimatch News brings you the list of five players Manchester United should sell ahead of the 2023-24 season:

#5 Brandon Williams

The 22-year-old lad had a promising start to his journey with the Senior side however, the uncertainty regarding his future at Old Trafford has risen over time. Williams has not started for the Red Devils since May 2021 as his last full appearance was against Wolves which was also their last fixture of the 2020-21 Premier League season.  

Brandon is currently tied with the Red Devils on a four-year contract expiring in 2024 and has bagged 51 appearances and a solitary goal across all competitions for his boyhood club. Upon returning from a season-long loan spell with Norwich City, he was able to make only a single cameo appearance for the MUFC in the entire 2022-23 campaign. 

He was supposed to venture another loan spell but a serious injury threat that occurred in July 2022 kept him unavailable for another stint. The Italian top-flight side Fiorentina is in strong pursuit of the Manchester-born full-back in a loan deal however, United may turn it into a permanent move to cover up their expenditure in the same window. 

#4 Alex Telles

Telles might be the next Red Devil to join Al-Nassr from the Old Trafford 

The list features another full-back defender who prefers to play on the left side of defense but is forced to play out of his natural position in order to stay at the club. Luke Shaw’s rising prominence and the coach’s faith in Tyrell Malacia have certainly made things quite difficult for the Brazilian defender who arrived at Old Trafford from Porto with huge hype.  

Telles’ successful season-long loan stint with the Spanish top-division outfit Sevilla is bound to finish at the end of the season as the club is also preparing to offload him for a good sale. 

He recently started in the UEFA Europa League final for Los Nervionenses and played a vital role in winning the record seventh title against Roma. Alex featured in 26 league games for the Rojiblancos in the 2022-23 La Liga which is just four less than his league appearance tally (30) with Manchester United since 2020-21. 

According to the reports, the 30-year-old left-back is heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr where he can reunite with his former MUFC teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. 

#3 Donny van de Beek

The Dutch midfielder moved to the grand stage of the Premier League with high hopes but whether it’s fitness or form or adaptation, the list of reasons is way too long. A circumferential change was speculated when he was reunited with his former Ajax boss however, nothing changed as his time at Old Trafford remained forgettable. 

Battling through the injuries and form fiasco, the 26-year-old versatile midfielder was able to feature in only 10 Premier League fixtures across the season. The MUFC management tried to loan him out to Everton in order to offer more game exposure and the opportunity to regain his rhythm but that too did not work for the Dutchman as he made only seven league appearances for the Toffees.  

It is going to be quite tough for the United board to find a good deal for the central midfielder as van de Beek is not expected to recover from the knee injury before July. His former employer AFC Ajax is keen on re-signing the homegrown star as the club wants him to lead Godenzonen’s midfield once again. 

#2 Anthony Martial 

Anthony ‘El Mago’ Martial coping to revive his goal-scoring magic

Ever since he arrived at the Premier League, the French forward has become the striking face of Manchester United and formed a formidable bond with another fan-favourite face Marcus Rashford. However, it seems like the roller-coaster MUFC stint of Martial has finally come to its end as the circumstances are hinting at his exit from the Red and Blacks camp.  

A failed loan spell with the Sevilla side was followed by yet another forgettable EPL campaign for the 27-year-old who had huge goal-scoring responsibilities for the club. Martial failed to achieve a double-digit goal tally for the third consecutive Premier League season and finished the campaign with only six goals and two assists from 21 appearances under his name. 

The Massy-born striker recently missed the FA Cup final clash owing to a muscular tear which will not only keep him out of the action for a long time but also increased the possibility of a permanent exit. Juventus is among the frontrunners to be the next destination for the French star who is all set to part ways with the Red Devils after eight years. 

#1 Harry Maguire

The performance graph of the English central defender at Old Trafford is deteriorating season by season which may eventually end with his exit this summer. After having a breakthrough debut season with the Red Devils and attaining the captain’s armband, tables have turned around as the 30-year-old has lost his first-choice status in the Red Devils’ defense. 

Upon taking charge of the Man United, Erik ten Hag’s primary focus for central defense has been on Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof with Luke Shaw also being preferred to Maguire for the left-sided role in the heart of defense. The club captain was able to appear only in 16 games which is the lowest number of league appearances in a season for him since his debut campaign with Sheffield United in 2010-11. 

The Sheffield-born star who arrived at the United roster with a tag of being the most expensive defender in the world has become a liability for his employer as the club has also identified Kim Min-Jae as his potential replacement. United has also reportedly offered Maguire to Chelsea in a deal to bring the English attacking midfielder Mason Mount.