Two completed, Four Remaining – Man United confirm six players leaving this summer as Ten Hag continues his rebuild
Manchester United has released six players whose contracts have expired today.
Players’ contracts expire on June 30, with United releasing a half-dozen players to pursue new opportunities.
While three of the players have mostly played for youth and academy teams, the other three have all played for the main team at some point.
Ten Hag is keen to break off from the past and has granted his permission for Phil Jones, David de Gea, and Axel Tuanzebe to leave.
Jones has had minimal contact with the Dutch manager since his arrival, with the defender appearing only five times in the last three and a half years due to severe knee problems. He has worked for United for 12 years.
De Gea had an offer to stay on the table, albeit on drastically reduced terms compared to his £375,000-a-week contract, which expires today, but United are alleged to have reversed their decision and he has already departed.
Ten Hag is looking to strengthen his goalkeeping options, and Inter Milan’s Andre Onana, who worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, is a primary target.
a product from the academy Tuanzebe is the latest player to depart from Manchester United, having fallen further down the pecking order at center back behind Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
Tuanzebe had wanted to solidify his spot in the Manchester United starting XI after joining the squad on their pre-season tour last summer. However, he returned to Australia with a ‘personal issue’ and struggled to re-enter the squad.
Others going include Ethan Galbraith, Charlie Wellens, and Di’Shon Bernard.
The spotlight will be on De Gea, and former United player Rio Ferdinand has lamented the way the controversy surrounding the Spaniard’s future has been handled thus far.
‘It’s a funny situation,’ Ferdinand stated on the FIVE YouTube channel. It’s debatable whether David de Gea is still good enough for Manchester United.
‘However, he’s been an incredible servant to this football club. He’s been at this club for 12 years, which is equivalent to how long I was at this club. ‘I’ve been Player of the Year four or five times in that time.’
‘I’m just a little bit gutted with how the club has handled things,’ he continued. Communication is the key. Manchester United, I believe, should take note of this. They’ve made mistakes in the past, with key stars leaving the club.’
