Manchester United could let seven players go to start summer clear-out

The Man United released list could be long but the inevitable return of loanees prevents them from clearing the decks.

"When old soldiers die, new ones come in," Erik ten Hag said. The creaking warhorses Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans are out of contract in under three months.

Varane's frank admission his body is "damaged" last week hardly strengthened his bargaining hand. Evans is breaking down as much as one would expect from a 36-year-old who has already played more minutes this term than he did for Leicester City last season.

Varane has had six separate lay-offs this term and he has appeared in 93 United games out of a possible 154. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only other outfielders to have played for United beyond their 36th birthday since Ryan Giggs retired in 2014.

United were due to have a recovery day on Monday yet Evans and Varane require weeks. United have four more games this month and Harry Maguire and Willy Kambwala are assured of starting as long as they do not join the patients in the physio's room.

Tom Heaton, Anthony Martial and Brandon Williams are among the senior players whose deals expire at the end of June. Martial was supposed to be back by now but, to no surprise, has not been involved in team training sessions. Williams has not played all year on loan at Ipswich and was last seen arriving at court to hear allegations he inhaled laughing gas before being involved in a 74 mph car crash.

Williams is one loanee United can release. But Donny van de Beek, Jadon Sancho, Facundo Pellistri and Mason Greenwood will still be under contract if they return after June 30. Four starts and two substitute appearances suggest Eintracht Frankfurt will not take up their option to buy van de Beek, an unused substitute in their last three matches.

Sevilla have an option to make Hannibal Mejbri's loan permanent but he has made only one La Liga start. Alvaro Fernandez has to play a certain number of games to trigger a permanent move to Benfica, which may account for his lack of minutes in recent weeks. Pellistri is playing regularly for La Liga relegation certainties Granada and the Uruguay international is one of United's most sellable assets. The loss on Sancho will be considerable but United have to cut their losses on a player who accused the manager of lying, whether Ten Hag stays or goes.

Heaton, denied a move to Luton Town in the summer when United triggered the one-year extension in his contract, turns 38 next week. The former England international remained on the bench ahead of the fit-again Altay Bayindir at Chelsea but was dropped from the matchday squad against Liverpool.

Ten Hag was not as generous to Heaton when he was the de facto number two upon his return for the run-in last season. The on-loan Jack Butland retained his place and received an FA Cup silver medal at Wembley.

Omari Forson is small fry despite his relative prominence under Ten Hag, who mistakenly started him in the damaging defeat to Fulham in February. The 19-year-old has played only eight minutes since and is approaching the last two months of his deal.

Forson explored a possible departure in January and flirted with Arsenal in 2020. A left-footed forward is essential for United but Forson would not be a significant loss.

Nor would Greenwood. Principled fan power forced United to abandon Greenwood's planned reintegration into the squad in August. Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirmed a fresh decision would be made on Greenwood's future and wondered whether "the fans would be comfortable with it". The majority of paying supporters are unlikely to be one year on from United's climbdown.

United will return Sofyan Amrabat to Fiorentina but this is not a summer that the decks will be quickly cleared, unlike in 2022. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani were on the released list and the most prominent names on this summer's list are likely to be Varane and Martial.

The latter has not played in four months and has only been seen taking his seat in the directors' box for the FA Cup victory over Liverpool. True to form, he was late. Martial has never been much of a solider.