Nine Players Who Could Leave Man Utd This Summer

Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte is described as “planning a transfer” this summer, reported to have “many options” of clubs he could join.

It might bring a relatively swift end to his time at Old Trafford, having arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2024. Ugarte has started only eight Premier League matches this season—just one under interim manager Michael Carrick, who remains favorite to be appointed permanently.

The Red Devils are expected to dip into the transfer market to replace the outgoing Casemiro, with the Brazilian’s exit not projected to push more minutes Ugarte’s way. There will be a new starter alongside Kobbie Mainoo in 2026–27 and beyond, whether that is Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Carlos Baleba, Éderson or someone else. Meanwhile, United are increasingly tipped to also sign one or possibly even two others as depth options for the No. 6 and No. 8 positions.

For Ugarte, Sky Sport Germany correspondent Florian Plettenberg writes that a move is what the Uruguay international is looking for. Galatasaray was a “concrete” possibility when this was also a topic of conversation last summer. In separate reports this year, Juventus have been heavily linked. There has also been speculation about Napoli, AC Milan, Lyon, Marseille and Ajax.

Nine Players Could Leave Man Utd

André Onana remains a Man Utd player. | Gerrit van Keulen/Soccrates Images/Getty Images

In what is going to be a significant and important summer for the club, both ahead of returning to the Champions League next season and getting within two years of a targeted Premier League title by the end of 2027–28, plenty more than Manuel Ugarte could leave Manchester United.

Casemiro is already confirmed to be going when his contract expires, leaving on a high after probably his best season for the club. Despite repeated calls from fans for him to stay longer and even his teammates wanting the Brazilian to stick around, there will be no U-turn.

Goalkeeper Altay Bayındır is primed to head somewhere—probably Türkiye—he will start. André Onana will soon finish his Trabzonspor loan but is a long way behind Senne Lammens in the United pecking and likely wouldn’t stay for a backup role. Keeping Tom Heaton, a valued senior figure, as third choice on another one-year contract would make sense given the turnover in the department.

There is uncertainty about Marcus Rashford because of Barcelona’s unwillingness to use the option to buy in last summer’s loan agreement. He could return to Old Trafford, but could equally head back to Catalonia on a second loan, or sign permanently somewhere else.

The Rasmus Højlund situation is much clearer, set to join Napoli permanently once expected Champions League qualification triggers the conditional obligation to buy in his loan. Jadon Sancho will be out of contract as soon as his Aston Villa loan ends and isn’t expected to return.

Joshua Zirkzee has continued to be the subject of speculation, firmly in a fringe role this season. More minutes will likely come his way once there are more games on the calendar, but the Dutchman could still pursue a move if he believes his prospects are better elsewhere. Compatriot Tyrell Malacia will soon become a free agent and signing a left back is a possibility anyway.

Ugarte Struggles Explained

There were high hopes when Manuel Ugarte arrived in 2024. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

Manchester United agreed a $66.7 million (£50.5 million) transfer for Ugarte with Paris Saint-Germain in August 2024. He’d previously emerged as one of the most promising defensive midfielders in Europe during a breakout spell with Sporting CP. But a tenacious and impressive start in Paris—“When I win the ball back, I’m happy,” he told club media in the French capital upon arriving in 2023—was lost in the second half of his debut season.

Still, with the skillset he had, Ugarte seemed like the perfect addition.

However, things are rarely that simple. It didn’t help Ugarte that he joined United at a difficult time. There had been major uncertainty during the early summer owing to internal discussion about Erik ten Hag’s future, with poor results swiftly leading to the Dutchman’s dismissal by October of 2024.

Ugarte needed a more stable environment during his early adaptation and it was a significant blow to him that his first Premier League start ended up a humbling 3–0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, after which he was immediately dropped.

There was hope when the club then hired Ruben Amorim, Ugarte’s former manager at Sporting, but the Portuguese coach had bigger issues to contend with as he tried to implement a completely new tactical system. Results were poor, leading to a 51-year low, and while Ugarte was usually a starter it was enormously detrimental to his confidence and long-term prospects.

This season has largely been a continuation of that, with Amorim preferring to play Bruno Fernandes out of position, even after dropping Mainoo, and Carrick putting his faith in the latter.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC

Add us as a preferred source on Google