Paul Scholes names eight players he would consider selling at Man Utd | Football
Paul Scholes has encouraged Manchester United to completely overhaul their first-team squad in the summer, naming eight players he would strongly consider offloading if he was in charge of the club.
United have risen to third place in the Premier League table following a remarkable resurgence under interim head coach Michael Carrick in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s dismissal.
Without the distraction of any cup competition during their run-in, the Red Devils appear well-positioned to secure Champions League qualification for the first time since their group-stage exit in 2023.
Given United sit seven points better off than sixth-placed Chelsea with seven matches remaining, it would require an almighty collapse for Carrick’s men to miss out on Europe’s premier club competition.
Old Trafford bosses spent in the region of £200million to strengthen their misfiring attack last summer, as Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo all signed on the dotted line for big money.
Senne Lammens was also brought in from Royal Antwerp for a fee of around £18million and has provided an assured presence between the sticks which was so badly lacking when Andre Onana was number one.
But attentions are beginning to turn to the transfer market once again, with United’s hierarchy ready to release yet more funds while identifying central midfield as a key area of focus.
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Casemiro confirmed in January that this season would be his last at the Theatre of Dreams and several players will be expected to follow the Brazilian out the exit door when the transfer window opens for business.
On the latest The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes discussed potential ins and outs while playing a game of ‘Keep or Sell?’ with former United team-mate Nicky Butt.
The legendary ex-United and England midfielder pulled no punches with his answers, going into some detail about which squad members he thinks should be safe – and those who should be on the chopping block.
If it were up to Scholes, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Patrick Dorgu, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee would all be in the frame to leave along with Casemiro.
Keep or Sell? United’s goalkeeper and centre-backs
Senne Lammens
Scholes: ‘Keep.’
Matthijs De Ligt
Scholes: ‘I think it’d be between him and Harry Maguire who you’d keep, I think you’d keep just one of them. If he [De Ligt] was fit, I’d probably just go for him.’
Harry Maguire
Scholes: ‘Look, I think he’s been really good and he’s brought himself back from the dead really. I think he’s been sensational with what he’s done, I’m so so pleased for him, but I’m thinking about a Manchester United team you want to win the league and the Champions League and that’s where United should be aiming. I’m not sure you’d do that with Maguire, unless you’ve got someone like a Rio [Ferdinand] next to him then possibly, yeah.
‘It’s Manchester United, you’ve got to be talking about winning the Premier League. If it’s one of four, you’d probably take him but I’d have De Ligt in that as one of four. I think they’re both quite similar but De Ligt is a little bit younger so that’s on his side, he’s a little bit quicker, so I’d probably just go for De Ligt.’
Lisandro Martinez
Scholes: ‘Do you know what? After, publicly we got a bit of s*** [for their recent comments about Martinez], in all seriousness, when he was playing I thought he was really good. I do, I genuinely think he was really good. When I’m talking about one of four, you think about Maguire and De Ligt with a Martinez… I don’t think he suits them. I think they need somebody more dominant, more quick, more strong, someone who just takes the ball of centre-forwards, “Get out my way!”, Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand.
‘The one thing I like about him is he’s got a great left foot, he plays really good, but are you winning the Premier League, the Champions League with him as your centre-half? Again, I think every centre-half they’ve got, they need a better one next to them.
‘I’d probably just keep him.’
Leny Yoro
Scholes: ‘I think he’s struggled, me. I think there’s something in there, I think he needs a bit of time, but if you had to make a choice now, I’d probably sell him.’
Keep or Sell? United’s full-backs
Diogo Dalot
Scholes: ‘Just keep. He’s a squad player for me.’
Noussair Mazraoui
Scholes: ‘Sell. I don’t know where he fits in. He’s been like a right-sided centre-half and they don’t play with three centre-halves anymore. if there’s three centre-halves then you’d probably have him as one of five or six but I think it’s probably time to let him go now.’
Patrick Dorgu
Scholes: ‘They brought him in as a wing-back and he’s not really played much there. I’d probably sell. I’m not sure what position he is. Again, if you keep him then he’s just a squad player.’
Luke Shaw
Scholes: ‘When he was playing consistently, I don’t think there was a better left-back in the world, not just Europe. But if you’re asking me now, and he’s done alright appearance-wise this year, but I’d sell him. He doesn’t play enough games.’
Keep or Sell? United’s midfielders
Mason Mount
Scholes: ‘I’d probably sell him and I like him, he’s a great footballer. But he’s never going to play in front of Bruno Fernandes. I’m not sure what other position he could play and he doesn’t play enough games.’
Bruno Fernandes
Scholes: ‘Talk about player of the year, in a team that, in the first half of the season were terrible, he could be that player. Keep him.’
Casemiro
Scholes: ‘Yeah, I think it’s right [he’s going]. I think he’s turned his fortunes around, he’s been very good, but United need strengthening in that position massively.’
Manuel Ugarte
Scholes: ‘I think he’ll go.’
Kobbie Mainoo
Scholes: ‘Keep.’
Keep or Sell? United’s attackers
Matheus Cunha
Scholes: ‘Keep.’
Joshua Zirkzee
Scholes: ‘Sell.’
Amad Diallo
Scholes: ‘Keep.’
Bryan Mbeumo
Scholes: ‘Keep.’
Benjamin Sesko
Scholes: ‘Keep. I like him, me, I think he’s alright.’
United have a week remaining before they return to action at home to bitter rivals Leeds in the Premier League.
The Red Devils haven’t played since dropping points in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on March 2020 and will spend the coming days putting in the hard yards at an intensive training camp in Dublin.
Carrick has named a 25-man party for the trip to the Republic of Ireland, with Martinez and Dorgu both included following injury layoffs.
Dalot and Tom Heaton miss out due to illness, while De Ligt is still yet to return following a back injury he sustained in November.
After facing Leeds, Champions League -chasing United lock horns with Chelsea, Brentford, Liverpool, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest, before travelling to Brighton on the final day of the season.
Will Man Utd secure Champions League qualification?
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Paul Scholes names eight players he would consider selling at Man Utd | Football
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