United have a lot of shit to do. As David Ornstein said, he expects us to be the busiest team in the market.
And tbh, that's unsurprising.
We have no shortage of players to bring in whether it be replacements, backups or simply part of the squad, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox have their work cut out.
And at least they've already begun with the signing of Ederson. But more needs to be done.
While the focus is on incomings, we do need to look at several outgoings as well.
United have just released their released list and it includes:
- Casemiro 😭
- Tyrell Malacia
- Jadon Sancho 🙌
and a couple youngsters.
That's not enough. Not even close.
So here are the players I think we need to be moving on in order to see a proper rebuild at Old Trafford, one that can truly see us challenge for the league in the next couple of years, as is the goal of the club.
The Tap-ins
I think there are quite a few whom we perhaps never should have seen in a United shirt in the first place.
Almost makes you think that if these guys could play for Manchester United, there really is hope out there for you to achieve absolutely anything.
1. Andre Onana
Do I need to say anything?
It is perhaps the easiest of the tap-ins we have. However, there is a twist as the United loanee does apparently want to go on pre-season tour and try to force himself back into contention.
🤣🤣😭😭.
Guy really should be a comedian with jokes like that lol.
He's never going to replace Senne Lammens and nor do I think Onana should be backup. He's good enough to play as no 1 just not at United. The Cameroonian's departure will mean we also save around £3m on monthly wages.
£3m for this guy 😳.
2. Altay Bayindir
Again, a pretty self-explanatory one.
A backup goalkeeper who was never good enough as a backup. He did give us one good memory though, with his man of the match performance against Arsenal in the 24/25 FA Cup.
Bro saved penalties during the match and in the shootout on top of making a couple of brilliant stops to keep us in the game.
Thank you for that, at least.
3. Manuel Ugarte
We have quite a few of these guys who need no real explanation as to why they should leave.
You know, when Ugarte was available, I was actually low key relatively happy that we signed him. I felt we needed a midfielder who is able to cover ground and isn't afraid to get stuck in. A player who can break up the play and destroy oppositions.
In a way, I saw him as a Casemiro-type player, just with more legs, which is what we needed at the time considering how great and influential the Brazilian was in his first season.
As Casemiro fell off in 23/24, we needed someone to come in and pick things up again. Ugarte was seen as that guy.
He wasn't that guy.
He really wasn't 😬.
I mean no disrespect to him but if he couldnt break into this midfield with little numbers, a drop off in quality (for a period), and under the manager who sort of 'made' you in Ruben Amorim, then it was never going to work.
Now under Michael Carrick, Ugarte can't get a sniff. A part of that was because of one game a week where there was no need for rotation yet even still, he didn't get anywhere near enough game time.
And can you blame Carrick?
This is all in addition to having what some people dubbed 'the Ugarte curse' as whenever he stepped foot onto the pitch, United not only seemed to concede but also go on to lose certain games when that looked unlikely.
Now that we've gotten Ederson and we're looking to bring in more midfielders, the Uruguayan's game time will be almost non-existent.
A fresh start is needed for all.
4. Joshua Zirkzee
The same could be said of our confusing Dutch striker?
And I think that that is perhaps the major issue with big Josh: what the fuck is he?
Striker? No 10? Wide forward? Midfielder? 9.5 (whatever that is)?
As he is no specialist in anything, I don't see where he fits in even as a squad player.
He definitely cannot play up front because he doesn't possess any of the attributes of a no 9. Zirkzee certainly cannot play in attacking midfield because of Bruno Fernandes as well as being able to use the likes of Matheus Cunha, Amad or even Mason Mount in that role. Without any real pace or directness, he cannot play out wide, and more than anything, in this 4-2-3-1 formation, there is no place for confused players.
This doesn't mean that he is completely useless as Zirkzee does have his qualities - qucik feet, dribbling, plays in a chilled manner - but he is more a luxury player. United don't have space for luxury players at this moment.
I do believe we've misused him but he was never going to make it given where we we've been as a team.
Zirkzee is good enough however, to go and play for a mid-table team in the PL or for a top one in another country.
Similar to the previous three above though, he was a waste of money.
Should Be Moved On
These are my personal picks so please, don't get upset. This is just who I think we need to remove because they were part of the failed old regime that no longer exists at United.
Hopefully.
Btw, these departures aren't ones that we absolutely have to do, but I believe they would show that we are a serious club.
5. Diogo Dalot
Dalot is a hard character to predict.
On the one hand, he ticks all the boxes:
Hard working ✅
Gives everything for the badge ✅
Great attitude ✅
Always available - which is a skill in itself ✅
Likeable ✅
But on the other, he fails to tick the biggest box of all:
Good player ❌.
In all honesty, I do believe it's better to have players with the right attitude even if they're not the best footballer going around rather than vice versa, but the issue for Dalot is that we have Noussair Mazraoui. The Moroccan also ticks all of those boxes but I do think he's a better player, at least defensively. I know that he can be a little injury prone but other than that, Maz is the quintessential full-back.
If we want to elevate our game however, an upgrade to both is required but if you were to ask me who I would pick between the two, I think you know my answer.
At the moment though, they are decent options for next season. We have other areas of concern so Dalot and Mazraoui should be okay.
6. Luke Shaw
How has this guy survived this long at United? He's almost seen every single manager we've had since Sir Alex Ferguson. The only one he missed was David Moyes, the first replacement.
I know his leg break obviously had a major negative impact on his career and probably led to him becoming injury prone, but the left-back just isn't him anymore.
In his 12 years at the club - yes 12! - Shaw has had two great seasons: 20/21 (Shawberto Carlos) and 22/23 when he showed his versatilty to play both LB and CB alongside Rapha Varane when Lisandro Martinez got injured. Shaw was superb in that position.
But that was it. We never really saw either of those versions again.
I've just looked up his injury history and blud has THREE FUCKING PAGES OF IT!
This past season was his best of note as he never missed a game. In fact, he started all 38 league games to a point where that was praised like he won the Ballon d'Or. But that was probably down to playing once a week and having the incentive of going to the World Cup, which obviously turned out to be a fruitless affair.
He's far too injury prone, he is no longer capable of running up and down the pitch as a natural full-back, will be 31 in a month and let's face it, is just average.
We cannot be going into such a pivotal season with an average left-back.
I suppose that's why we're looking at signing a new one.
7. Harry Maguire
Now this one, I know isn't going to win me many favours.
I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'm not the biggest Maguire fan.
Good centre-back, has his uses, but if you truly want to take your team to the next level, he ain't it.
Harry isn't the worst by far, but I feel he gets away with too much because of the sentimentality fans have towards him.
Again, this doesn't mean that he is completely hopeless because he does have his strengths mainly heading... and clearing headers... and winning headers in the final third... and scroing headers.
He's very good in the air.
But in terms of his style of play, I find that he's very limited. Maguire is slow, he's anticipation isn't great, late in the tackle, isn't the best or most composed on the ball, and doesn't possess any of the skills required of the modern centre-back.
You can say he's a leader and experienced, someone who is well-liked in the dressing room and obviously well-liked by the fans - well most of the fans 😅, but he never really lived up to the hype nor the price tag of £80m. That wasn't necessarily his fault but he'll always have that over his head.
Harry is also somewhat injury prone. Two injuries last season, four the season before, five in 23/24. He has two pages of injuries.
As a squad player he can do a job but my fear is that he will take the place of a youngster as we've seen under Carrick. In the final games of the season, the manager instead opted for experience instead of the youth of Leny Yoro or Ayden Heaven.
Again this isn't necessarily Harry's fault because the manager is picking him but if he wasn't there to be selected in the first place, we could get a glimpse of our potential future.
8. Mason Mount
Was he ever a United player?
Like talk about someone who never really fit in at Old Trafford, not necessarily because he's an unlikable guy but because he doesn't really scream 'Man Utd player', you know?
And he wears the sacred no 7.
Erik ten Hag, you have to answer for your crimes!
I don't know where Mount fits into the squad. It's similar to Zirkzee but at least with the Englishman, we know he can play a number of positions pretty comfortably.
It's just, we already have so many players for those positions. And as we saw in the last few matches of the season, he ain't no midfielder either, no matter how much he or the club try to convince us otherwise.
Just like his fellow Englishmen, Mount is very injury prone. In his three years at Old Trafford (three years! 😳), he's picked up ten injuries keeping him out for a mammoth 70 games for United.
Good Lord 70?!
So how many games has he actually played for us then? 5?
And this is all for a 27-year-old. Bro is in his prime 😐.
£50m waste.
I don't suppose any of these four departures will happen though, but surely some of them should.
Marquee Departure
You know how we have marquee signings, and we need one this transfer window? Well, I believe a marquee departure would truly set the cat amongst the pigeons.
9. Lisandro Martinez
I DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN!
Nor has there been anything serious linking him with a move away from United so before you get upset, there's nothing...
for now 😅.
I really like Martinez. I think a lot of us do but we cannot deny his major flaw: injuries.
The butcher - on top of having one hell of a nickname - is a great defender: strong, physical, great on the ball, composed in possession, has great anticipation and reading of he game, is a leader, carries himself in the right manner. What he lacks in height Martinez more than makes up for in fight.
He displays the true passion and heart of Argentines which is what we love to see at Old Trafford.
But after seven injuries keeping him out for a staggering 108 games in just four years, it's hard to ignore.
Going into a season with a dodgy left-back and dodgy backup CB - not to mention Matthijs De Ligt - United can't afford another important player who is unreliable.
I'm not saying that we should sell Martinez. But at 28 and with a year left on his contract, if the club were to move him on, I wouldn't be completely surprised.
It's actually something that I would low key admire because how often do we make such big and unforeseen decisions?
This would show that we mean business.
But what do you think of this list? Which players do you think definitely need to go, should go, and who would be your marquee departure that would send shockwaves throughout the football world?
Michael Carrick | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)
Manuel Ugarte | Creator: Michael Regan | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2025 Getty Images via Get Italian Football News
Joshua Zirkzee | Creator: George Wood | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2026 Getty Images via Goal
Marcus Rashford | Image credit: Getty Images via Barca Blaugranes
Andre Onana | Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images via Stretty News
Mason Mount | Image crdit: Getty Images via The Busby Babe