The £670,000-a-week Man Utd Trio Could Follow Marcus Rashford Out the Exit Door

The 2023/24 season was an incredibly difficult one for Manchester United. They have had a difficult time in the Premier League so far, currently sitting sixth in the table with 54 points and now mathematically unable to reach the Champions League next season.

Not only was it a difficult time for Erik ten Hag, there were also many individuals who had problems within the team. One of these players is Marcus Rashford, for whom the 2023/24 season was not easy.

The England international has scored just eight goals and provided five assists in all competitions for United, a far cry from his outstanding 2022/23 season in which he scored 30 goals and provided ten assists.

Despite Rashford’s poor form, his record for United speaks for itself. In 399 games for his youth club, he scored 131 goals and 64 assists. Notably, he is ranked 12th on the list of all-time top goalscorers, just two behind the legendary Dennis Viollet, who scored 133 goals.

With the 26-year-old winger’s form flagging this season, there is talk that United will look to cash in on him. In fact, a report from The Telegraph’s James Ducker this week stated that INEOS was open to “offers for almost any player”, including Rashford.

He signed a new contract with the club last summer, which could mean a move away from United is unlikely. Should a deal for Rashford to leave Old Trafford come through, United would save big on his £300,000-a-week wages, according to Capology.

According to a report by David Ornstein of The AthleticThe Red Devils want to “retain Marcus Rashford and help get the 26-year-old back to top form”, suggesting a potential transfer this summer is unlikely.

Instead, there are several other players who could well part ways with United, considering Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are willing to listen to offers for many players in the United squad.

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Anthony

The first of these players that INEOS could sell next summer is Brazilian international Antony. Accordingly The mirrorUnited are ready to “cut their losses against Antony this summer”.

It has certainly not been a successful transfer so far, considering the Brazilian cost United £85.4m from Ajax. a record transfer fee received by an Eredivisie club. In 80 games for the Red Devils, Antony has managed just 11 goals and five assists, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the entire 2023/24 Premier League season.

One of the player’s biggest problems is the fact that he is a very predictable winger. The 24-year-old is not particularly confident in receiving the ball on his right foot, meaning he cuts it with the sole inwards onto his left foot and shoots to direct it into the top left corner. While this has worked for him at times, it is not very effective as it is easy for defenders to predict.

Creatively, Antony was massively lacking this season. According to Fbref, he averages just 1.52 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League, putting him in the worst 56% of wingers. Additionally, his 0.14 expected assists per 90 minutes puts him in the worst 60%.

However, Antony’s main characteristic is that he doesn’t have the ball. He manages 6.44 ball recoveries per 90 minutes and 3.62 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, both of which place him in the top 4%. He works hard on the ball and runs well back to support his full-back.

Taking all these things into account, it seems like a smart move for United to sign the attacker who earns £200,000 a week because they can reinvest that money and improve their right flank. With that in mind, it would be difficult to recoup much of the £85.4 million they had spent on him.

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Victor Lindelof

The second player United could sign this summer is Victor Lindelof. The Sweden captain has been at the club for seven years but could well be on the verge of leaving Old Trafford.

The Red Devils bought Lindelof from Benfica for £31m in 2017. Since then he has played 258 games for the club, getting on the scoresheet four times and providing seven assists during this time. However, he has only won one trophy with United during this time, the 2022/23 Carabao Cup.

One of Lindelof’s biggest deficiencies when United have the ball is his progressive passing. He doesn’t have the ability to consistently hit killer long balls like Harry Maguire does, only managing 4.74 per 90 minutes according to Fbref, putting him in the worst 83% of defenders.

The Swede also doesn’t have the ability to play line-breaking passes like Lisandro Martinez and therefore has problems passing the ball when playing from the back. He averages just 2.71 progressive passes per 90 minutes, putting him in the worst 67%.

Additionally, the £120,000-a-week centre-back has struggled in the air, with his aerial duel win rate of 41.7% placing him only in the bottom 93% of defenders. In fact, he only wins 1.15 aerial duels per 90 minutes, putting him in the worst 84%.

United’s number two could leave Old Trafford this summer, with a Sevilla side rumored to be interested in taking him off United’s hands in a ‘low-cost’ transfer.

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Casemiro

It’s been an incredibly frustrating season for Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, who could leave Old Trafford this summer after just two seasons at the club. The midfielder was described as “terrible”. by Mark Goldbridge last month, in a hot few months.

The Red Devils brought Casemiro to the club from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022 for a transfer fee of £70 million. Although he had a successful first season in England, his natural decline in age has accelerated this season and he is clearly no longer the player he once was. He played 79 games for United, scoring 12 goals and providing nine assists.

Casemiro can be incredibly frustrating on the ball. According to Fbref, the 32-year-old has a passing accuracy of 81.4% in the Premier League, putting him in the worst 54% of midfielders.

Considering his role in midfield, his progressive passing numbers could be higher. The Brazilian averages 5.44 progressive passes per 90 minutes, which, while not among the worst, is in the top 27%.

Without the ball, Casemiro’s statistics reflect better. He wins 2.28 tackles per 90 minutes, putting him in the top 6% of midfielders, and makes 3.61 blocks per 90 minutes, putting him in the top 1%. However, he has difficulty tracking runners from the midfield and cannot keep up with opponents when running after them.

Overall, selling Casemiro could represent good business for United. They could wipe his astronomical £350,000-a-week salary off the club’s books and try to recoup some of the £70m they spent on him last summer.

In fact, there are certainly a lot of interesting developments coming up on the transfer front at Old Trafford. There is a big transfer window ahead for INEOS and Ratcliffe, which could clean up the squad and help the club restart for next season.