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Manchester United are starting to show plenty of signs of progress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It is imperative that the manager nurtures a competitive environment within the squad to bring out the best in his players. While some individuals thrive in such atmospheres, others struggle.
Solskjaer has discovered several key combinations that work on the pitch and he seems to have a steady starting lineup these days. There are a few areas where Manchester United need to strengthen but they've also got world-class quality in a number of positions.
Manchester United are focused on improving their squad depth even more
Over the course of the 2020-21 season, it has become evident that the Red Devils have a fair amount of squad depth. This is obviously good for the team. However, once the manager has a clear group of starters, the players that help provide that squad depth might find game time coming at a premium.
Consequently, what may be good for the team might not exactly be great for their careers. Without further ado, let's take a look at five Manchester United players who need to leave to further their careers.
#5 Alex Telles
Alex Telles is a prime example of a player whose presence is great for the side but not so much for the individual himself. Telles was signed by Manchester United from FC Porto in October 2020. He was brought in to provide competition for Luke Shaw at left-back.
While Telles has impressed in flashes, he has not been afforded a consistent spell of starts in the first team. In all fairness, it was nobody's fault as Luke Shaw just decided to have the best season of his career so far in 2020-21. The Englishman was starting to become a creative force from left-back and for all of Telles' quality, he just couldn't match Shaw's productivity.
Shaw is just 25 and is set to hit his peak. Displacing him from the first-team could be a job-and-a-half for Telles. The Brazilian is also 28-years-old and has a lot to offer. He is a great crosser of the ball and is a dead-ball specialist. While it may be bad news for Manchester United, Telles needs to leave the club to further his career.
#4 Daniel James
Daniel James copped a dream move to Manchester United in June 2019. He impressed in his first few outings. But the 23-year-old has since proved that he has a lot of work to do in order to become a starter for the Red Devils.
A tireless worker, James seems to have improved in a lot of departments in the 2020-21 season. However, the fact that signing a right winger is a priority for Solskjaer in the summer proves that the manager is reluctant to place a lot of trust in James.
The Welshman has a lot of potential but he needs regular game time in order to succeed at the highest level. This often happens with youngsters who earn moves to big clubs early on in their careers.
They could get swallowed whole by the competition and never become the player they could have been because they were not afforded the ample amount of opportunities. It might be in James' best interest to seek a move to a club where he will be guaranteed minutes and perhaps make a switch to a big club after that.
#3 Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard had a stunning half-season on loan with West Ham United. It's clear as day that Lingard is not a great fit for Solskjaer's Manchester United. The Englishman thrives in a team that will be afforded room to run into. The Hammers set up defensively but are lethal on the counter-attack.
There are very few runners in the Premier League who are as dangerous as Lingard on the break. However, when Manchester United come to play, most teams set up a low block against them. This means that the Red Devils have to field players who are technically proficient and can upend defences with incisive passes.
That's why they have Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba. Lingard is going to find it impossible to displace either of those players from the first team. What he should do is cop a move to a different club because he'll have a lot to offer for a different kind of team.
#2 Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial has been at Manchester United for six years now. We're still not sure what his best position is. Martial clearly prefers to play as a centre-forward but his best performances have come while playing down the left wing.
He had a great outing in the 2019-20 season but came nowhere close to replicating that form in the 2020-21 campaign. The Frenchman turned in several frustrating performances and was sidelined towards the end of the season with an injury.
Edinson Cavani has also offered Solskjaer a major upgrade to Martial in the centre-forward position. Marcus Rashford has made the left-winger's role his own. Martial has been too inconsistent at Manchester United and it looks like he will struggle to break into the first-team again.
He could go on to become a big player for another club. Solskjaer had come to a gentleman's agreement with Romelu Lukaku once they came to the understanding that the Belgian didn't fit into the system as a striker. The Manchester United manager needs to do the same with Martial.
#1 Donny van de Beek
While the popular narrative is that it's some sort of dastardly call made by Solskjaer that's making Donny van de Beek a benchwarmer at Manchester United, the truth is far from that. The former Ajax midfielder, who is brilliant with his movement in the final third, has just not proved his credentials as a midfielder in the Manchester United setup.
He made 36 appearances for the Red Devils in his debut season across all competitions. However, only 15 of those have been starts. If Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes are fit, there is no way that Solskjaer is going to choose Van de Beek over them.
When either of them is absent and Van de Beek starts in their place, United end up struggling to assert themselves in midfield. Don't get us wrong though. the 24-year-old is a great player. But he really needs to move to a club with a different system to thrive.
