GUN TO THEIR HEAD
Ole’s outcasts are facing the bullet
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified the players he wants out of the club this summer as he begins his overhaul of the squad.
Solskjaer has told United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward about the players he needs to offload to free up space for new signings to improve the squad.
Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia have already left, with Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku all likely to exit this summer.
Lukaku, who joined United from Everton for £75million two years ago, is wanted by Inter Milan, who are close to appointing exchelsea boss
Antonio Conte.
Lukaku started only
15 of 29 games under
Solskjaer last season and admitted he did not know if he would be at United for the next one.
Conte tried to sign Lukaku when he was at Chelsea, but the striker joined United to be reunited with Jose Mourinho, whom he played under at Stamford Bridge.
Mata is set to follow Spain compatriot Herrera in leaving United as a free agent, having failed to agree a contract extension.
With United intent on a marquee central defensive signing this summer, injuryprone Rojo, who played just six games last season, will be offloaded.
Darmian is also on his way out, after just seven appearances last season, including a shock start in United’s 2-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford in April.
Solskjaer, looking to clear out the dead wood, hopes to sign four or five players before the squad’s July 1 return for pre-season.
Among his targets are Leicester’s Harry Maguire, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wanbissaka, Swansea’s Daniel James and prolific Lille striker Nicolas Pepe.
Solskjaer is also keen on Borussia Dortmund’s £100m-rated forward Jadon Sancho, but United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League looks to have scuppered that deal.
Also on United’s radar are PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot, available for free this summer, and West Ham star Declan Rice, who would cost around £50m. Norwegian is looking to make a marquee defensive signing and wants at least five world-class recruits.
And he admits there can be “no excuses” if they fail to deliver in the next campaign.
The Reds return for pre-season on July 1 before embarking on a tour of Australia, Singapore and China, with Solskjaer promising his squad will hit the ground running.
“We’re going to sit down and go through all the plans with the physical coaches and with the coaches and we’ll be ready when July 1 comes,” he said.
“There aren’t going to be any excuses. You never get a break from football. You always think about it.
“I don’t want to switch off completely. I can switch off the phone once in a while, but you don’t switch off the brain.”