Ten Hag keen to keep hold of Man Utd flops

Suraj Radia

• 20 Dec 2023 17:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Erik ten Hag is hoping to keep hold of Manchester United duo Casemiro and Raphael Varane this January, with speculation rife over the futures of both of his big money stars.

The pair have struggled this season with injuries and poor form leading to suggestions that they could be moved on in January, with teams from the Saudi Pro League said to be most interested.

However, ESPN report that Ten Hag would prefer both players remain at Old Trafford until the summer, although he would be open to their departure if the pair actively push to leave.

Ten Hag would also only sanction either player’s exit if they could be replaced – a request which could prove difficult to sanction given United’s struggles with financial fair play, having spent more than €200 million in the summer.

United have stressed that they do not expect to be busy in January, with a belief that the majority of deals will not provide the club value in the market, although the right opportunity could be explored for Ten Hag.

The club are also hoping to wrap up talks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the billionaire’s investment into United, which could allow the potential for some transfers in the winter.

What does the future hold for Casemiro and Varane?

Ratcliffe is believed to have identified United’s signing of Casemiro as an example of the poor business conducted by the club in recent years, with the 31-year-old becoming one of the highest earners at Old Trafford when he signed a four-year deal last summer for €70m.

Casemiro has played just once for United in the past 10 weeks but his form was already coming under criticism prior to his injury and the Brazilian could be allowed to leave for the right price.

Varane, meanwhile, will be free to talk to clubs in January after it was revealed that his contract expires at the end of the season, although United will likely activate the option to extend his deal until 2025.

The Frenchman has come back into contention after failing to feature for a month but he could still be sold next year even if United to activate their option to protect his value.