Ten Hag admits defeat in offloading unwanted Man Utd trio

FT Desk
FT Desk
  • 26 Aug 2022 19:45 BST
  • 3 min read
Erik ten Hag, Manchester United, 2022/23
© ProShots

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag admitted time is running out for the club to dispense with three unwanted squad members before the transfer window closes.

While much of the talk around Old Trafford this summer has revolved around incoming transfers and Cristiano Ronaldo's future, those are not the Reds' only priorities.

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United are also keen to offload several fringe players who do not form part of Ten Hag's plans, having released a host of established names at the start of the summer - including the likes of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani.

So far, though, efforts to trim the first-team squad further have proved painstakingly slow.

At the current time United have just six players loaned out, compared to the 19 who went out on temporary moves in 2021-22.

Who do Man Utd wish to loan out?

Phil Jones is one of the players who has been made available for transfer
© ProShots - Phil Jones is one of the players who has been made available for transfer

Of those three are considered part of the senior squad: goalkeeper Dean Henderson and defensive duo Alex Telles and Eric Bailly, who line up for Nottingham Forest, Sevilla and Marseille respectively.

That leaves another trio of players in limbo heading towards deadline day. Phil Jones, Brandon Williams and Axel Tuanzebe have all declared surplus to requirements but have not yet found a club.

“Am I expecting more players to go out? It can be, but we are talking about players who are not available so I don't think they will go out in this window," Ten Hag signalled to reporters on Friday.

The manager also spoke out on the prospect of further new signings, as United continue their frustrated pursuit of Ajax ace Antony.

"I don't know," Ten Hag said when asked if fresh signings were expected.

"We need players, clear, but we need the right players. The whole transfer window, we are happy with what we did until now but the bar has to be high."

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