In the 37th round of the Premier League, Manchester United faced Arsenal, which aspired to win the championship, lost 0-1 again, and while being killed by the opponent, the team's Premier League ranking also slipped all the way to 8th, and it may miss the European competition for the first time in ten years. At present, Manchester United's hearts are fluctuating, everyone does not know whether they will be in the team next season, and the purge within Manchester United is also quietly starting.
According to the Manchester Evening News, manager Erik ten Hag will make a major overhaul of the squad at the behest of Manchester United's hierarchy, with only four players in the squad for sale, not including 29-year-old captain Bruno Fernandes, who is already considering leaving Manchester United this summer after four and a half years.
Manchester United regressed across the board
Compared to Ten Hag's first season in charge of Manchester United, the Reds have degraded across the board this season. Last season they were in the top 3 of the league and this season they have fallen to 8th place. The attacking end is still terrible, despite having Rashford, Antony, Garnacho, Hojlen and other luxury configurations, but Manchester United's attacking ability is only in the middle and bottom of the Premier League.
Defensively, they conceded 43 goals and kept 17 clean sheets in 38 league games last season, while they have conceded 56 goals this season and kept just eight clean sheets. And whether it is the average number of big chances per game, the average number of shots per game, or the number of touches in the opponent's box per game, they are all behind last season.
Of course, Ten Hag did not admit that he lacked coaching ability, and he repeatedly stressed that Manchester United have suffered major injuries this season, including Malacia, Luke Shaw, Lisandro, Varane and other defenders have been exempted for a long time, and the team's defense is short of major generals, so much so that he even had to put midfield star Casemiro in the central defensive position. There is some truth to what Ten Hag has to say, but when you think about it, he is completely shirking his responsibility.
Real Madrid, who won the league 4 rounds in advance and reached the final of the Champions League, was reimbursed for the season by the main goalkeeper Courtois, the core defender Militão and Alaba at the beginning of the season, and Real Madrid captain Benzema, Asensio and other frontcourt generals have left the team one after another, and Real Madrid is facing a situation where there is no one available in the front field and the back field is full of injuries. However, Carlo Ancelotti led Real Madrid to the second-highest defensive efficiency in La Liga history, as well as the team's best defensive season since 1964/65.
Manchester United have only four players who are not for sale
While many fans want United to sack Ten Hag, that hope may be in vain. As it stands, Ratcliffe and his right-hand man Sir Dave Brailford have no plans to change managers, although they have confirmed the likes of Graham Potter, De Zerbi, Gareth Southgate and Nagelsmann as candidates, but this is more of a gesture and a means of putting pressure on Ten Hag.
Ten Hag seems to be very confident in his position, and in his purge list, in addition to the central defender Walla who has just officially announced his free departure, at least eight first-team players including Rashford, Lindeloff, Wan-Bissaka, Anthony Martial, Sancho, Greenwood, Casemiro and so on are either free to leave or sold at a low price. There are only four players in the team who are not for sale, namely goalkeeper Onana, Mainou, Garnacho and Hojlen.
The 29-year-old will leave Manchester United
Manchester United's back-to-back defeats have also left captain Bruno Fernandes disheartened. According to The Sun, Manchester United captain Fernandes is considering leaving the club at the end of the season and is already ready to make the FA Cup final against Manchester City his farewell game. The 29-year-old joined Real Madrid from Sporting de Portugal in January 2020 for a fee of €65 million, where he spent four and a half seasons at Manchester United and is seen as the best signing in the post-Ferguson era.
Since making his Premier League debut in February 2020, Fernandes have created 441 chances in the league, 72 more than second-placed Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne's 369. The previous interview of B Fei hinting at his departure surprised the club, and now it seems that B Fei is tired of the mess of Manchester United, and it is reported that Bayern and Inter are very interested in B Fei.
Fernandes has contributed 15 goals and 11 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions this season, and is Manchester United's top scorer this season, worth a whopping 70 million euros. If he leaves this summer, the purge will turn into a complete rebuild.