Manchester United exited the Champions League after putting in their worst display in 18 years by losing four games and accruing only four points.
Bayern Munich did not even have to break a sweat as they condemned Erik ten Hag’s side to their 12th defeat of the campaign on Tuesday.
The Red Devils finished fourth in their group, thereby failing to qualify for the Europa League as well. They had already lost to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup earlier.
Now the 20-time English league champions only have Premier League and FA Cup matches to deal with. Considering the massive injury pileup at the club, this is a blessing in disguise.
Major January clearout
With the reduced amount of matches between now and the end of the season, the manager is also open to a massive squad clearout during the January transfer window.
All the usual names like Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho figure in ESPN‘s report who also reveal that Casemiro and Raphael Varane could join the aforementioned duo.
The future of Sergio Reguilon, who has a break clause in his loan contract, is also going to be discussed but a lot will depend of the severity of Luke Shaw’s recent injury considering Tyrell Malacia is still not back.
Interestingly, the report mentions that due to the reduced amount of games on offer, the manager knows a lot of players will not get the game time they need.
This includes academy graduates who have been part of the first-team squad and have been getting minutes here and there like Hannibal Mejbri, Facundo Pellistri, and Amad Diallo.
Both the Tunisian and Uruguayan had come in during the demoralising defeat at the hands of the Bavarian giants while the Ivorian is set to get a few chances before a decision on his future is taken before the window commences.
The young trio could be about to head out on loan again or even sold which the report does not make clear. They have endured mixed success when it comes to temporary spells away from the club.
“United have Financial Fair Play concerns and offloading players in January would ease the burden ahead of the next transfer window at the end of the season.
Youngsters could leave as well
“A reduced number of games in the second half of the campaign will also mean fewer first-team opportunities for youngsters Hannibal, Amad and Facundo Pellistri.”
The Tunisian’s contract ends in 2024 with the club having the option of triggering a one-year extension. No new contract is yet to be agreed.
With such an abnormally high number of injuries to deal with, Ten Hag cannot afford to reduce his squad strength even if the number of games is less.
It will be interesting to see which players end up leaving and whether the club can back the manager and bring in certain players in key positions.
