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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been quite proactive about clearing the deadwood at Manchester United so far and we expect him to kick on with that this summer.
If, at the beginning of the season, Manchester United fans were asked if they would take a second-place finish in the Premier League, most of them would have taken it with both hands. After what was a rather dull transfer window, the Red Devils were not expected to do big things.
However, they have been one of the better sides in the English top-flight this term and despite struggling with injury issues, Solskjaer has been able to find effective combinations all across the field and improve a lot of players. Manchester United also have one of the youngest squads in the league.
They will be looking to bring reinforcements in the summer to a variety of positions. In order to facilitate those moves, the club is expected to sell a few players who have been deemed surplus to requirements and a few others as well.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who Manchester United could sell in the summer transfer window.
5 players who could be sold by Manchester United this summer
#5 Diogo Dalot
Diogo Dalot was roped in from Porto in the summer of 2018 for a sum of £17.4 million. While he has been sporadically impressive going forward, his effectiveness in defense has come under question far too many times.
Dalot has been loaned out to AC Milan, where he has had a rather impressive stint even though he did come under criticism on occasion. However, Manchester United are currently well-stocked in the full-back department.
With Aaron Wan-Bissaka starting on the right wing and Brandon Williams an able deputy, it doesn't look like Dalot will have much of a role to play when he returns to Manchester United this summer.
As such, Dalot is expected to be offloaded in the summer and Manchester United will be hoping to recoup more than they bought him for.
#4 Andreas Pereira
Portuguese midfielder Andreas Pereira just doesn't look like he's got enough to cut it at a club as big as Manchester United. Pereira plays out of his skin at times and can be quite a dangerous proposition on his day but those days come far and few in between.
With the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, who absolutely refuses to miss matches and goes about his business in prolific fashion, it looks like Pereira will need to improve his game manifold. He has been loaned out to Lazio as it was clear he won't get game time if he stayed at Old Trafford for the ongoing season.
Pereira has made 23 appearances for Lazio across all competitions, scoring one goal and registering two assists. In all fairness, he has started just two of those 23 matches and is unlikely to be retained by the Serie A outfit.
According to ESPN, Pereira will look for opportunities away from Old Trafford if Lazio do not keep him beyond the end of the season.
#3 Jesse Lingard
Just like Andreas Pereira, Jesse Lingard got displaced from the first-team setup with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes. Lingard went through a tough time on a personal level in 2020 but he had fallen down the pecking order and was hardly ever deployed on the field.
Lingard couldn't make a single appearance for Manchester United in the first half of the 2020-21 Premier League season and was subsequently loaned out to West Ham United. At West Ham United, he has shown his quality. The 28-year-old has scored four goals and provided an assist in six appearances for the Hammers.
This means that Lingard's stocks have risen and Manchester United will be able to get a good sum if they were to sell him in the summer. Given how well-stocked they are in the midfield department currently, it looks like Manchester United will let him leave in the summer for a good amount of money.
#2 Paul Pogba
There has been a lot of back and forth in the Paul Pogba saga already this season. Pogba had to work his way back into the Manchester United first-team after a slew of underwhelming performances and during that time, his agent Mino Raiola claimed that this would be his client's last season at Manchester United.
Pogba has since become a crucial part of the team once again but there is a lot of interest in the Frenchman. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are looking at the various possibilities of signing Pogba as he won't come for cheap. If Pogba doesn't extend his contract, this summer will be Manchester United's last chance to cash in on him.
Manchester United won't be able to recoup the £90 million they paid to sign him from Juventus but it's hard to imagine them settling for anything less than £60 million. If they can execute Paul Pogba's sale, then they will most likely be able to make a few big signings in the summer.
But given how important a player he has become at the club, there is always a chance that the club and the player will be able to see eye-to-eye over a new deal as well.
#1 David de Gea
David de Gea has been Manchester United's most trusted custodian for almost a decade now. At his peak, there was no goalkeeper who could match his shot-stopping abilities. However, over the past couple of seasons, his form has deteriorated and he has single-handedly cost Manchester United several matches.
The Spaniard does not seem to command his area and often shies away from claiming the ball inside the box. To add to that, he has let in quite a few soft goals over the past couple of seasons. In Dean Henderson, Manchester United have found a promising, young and brave goalkeeper.
Henderson has been quite brilliant in his outings so far this season for the Red Devils. The youngster is good enough to start for a big club and reports have suggested that if he is not made the club's no.1 next season, he will look for opportunities away from Manchester United.
David de Gea is Manchester United's highest earner in terms of wages. He is 30-years-old and it looks like it is the right time for the club and the player to part ways. David de Gea will forever be a Manchester United hero and he can move on and look for a fresh challenge while the Red Devils secure their future with Dean Henderson.
This could go on to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer.
