Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be ruthless in jettisoning up to nine senior players from his Manchester United squad, according to reports.
United announced Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek as their first summer signing on Wednesday, but may have to begin offloading players to fund more arrivals.
According to the Sun, Solskjaer could listen to offers for nine players deemed surplus to requirements as he looks to accelerate his Old Trafford rebuild.
Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Juan Mata and Sergio Romero are all mentioned as players who could be sacrificed as Solskjaer looks to remove players who are not part of his long-term plans.
There are arguments to sell all of the players listed but the chances of finding buyers for each of them in this transfer window are extremely low.
The forlorn Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones have long outstayed their welcome at Old Trafford and surely there is no future for the defensive duo at the club.
Jessie Lingard or Andreas Pereira will also have to move on if they want regular first-team football with the arrival of van de Beek intensifying the competition for places in midfield.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sergio Romero leave this summer given the return of Dean Henderson who will be challenging David De Gea for the number one. spot.
Bailly, meanwhile, is erratic at times and has been plagued with injury problems but should only be considered for sale if Jones and Rojo are sold and at least one new centre-back is brought in.
Despite rarely featuring 2019/20 season, Mata is contracted for another two seasons and is likely to settle for a sporadic role under Solskjaer next season.
Dalot, 21, deserves more time to prove himself after a torrid season and should deputise for the indispensable Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Solskjaer has plenty of players he can cut from his squad this summer but should focus on removing players such as Jones and Rojo that simply do not deserve another reprieve.
READ MORE: Video: Jamie Redknapp’s verdict on £35m Man Utd signing Donny Van de Beek
