How Man Utd can save £69million in wages to rebuild with this summer
Manchester United are tasked with rebuilding their squad yet again this summer and while it sounds daunting on the surface, there’s a pot of cash waiting to be used if they can sell correctly.
The Red Devils have been notoriously bad at buying and selling players over the last decade, burning through their own revenues and maxing out the club credit card to desperately try and claw their way back to the top, inevitably to no avail.
That’s left them with a hugely inflated wage bill that now needs to be trimmed.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s job is to restore United to the behemoth that they once were, but do so while being pinched by PSR rules and a tight budget.
However, they can free up around £69million in wages – using figures from Spotrac – to reinvest into the squad by getting rid of the following players, all deemed realistic departures.
Casemiro
From the moment United dropped £70million into Real Madrid’s bank accounts to sign Casemiro in 2022 after a poor start to the season, there was a collective sigh that echoed around football. They’ll never learn, will they?
United got a decent first season out of the five-time Champions League winner, who scored in the Carabao Cup final, but he tailed off in the final few months due to suspensions and has looked increasingly worse with every game he’s played in 2023-24.
There is no doubting the 32-year-old’s abilities in his peak, or his mentality, but it’s clear to see that time has caught up with him and United offered Real an easy way out.
They might have to compromise on a transfer fee, but getting him off the wage bill would save them an annual salary of £18.2million.
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Anthony Martial
A story that should’ve ended a long time ago will finally finish this summer when Martial’s contract – which sees him earn £13million annually – expires.
Everyone thought United had unearthed a star when he scored on debut against Liverpool, but after a strong start and a one-season revival in 2019-20, Martial has disappointed for the most part in Manchester, failing to fulfil his potential due to injury and inconsistency.
Ruthless clubs would’ve gotten rid of the Frenchman long ago, but United instead handed him a new deal in 2019.
His current deal has an option for an extra year, but Ratcliffe and United are best letting go now, taking a hit on a transfer fee and freeing up the £13million annually in wages.
Christian Eriksen
Eriksen is a somewhat harsh inclusion on the list and would probably continue to operate as a fine squad player, but with United seriously needing to raise funds and alleviate the financial restraint on the club, cashing in on the Dane feels sensible.
An uncharacteristically shrewd signing at the time, United snapped up Eriksen for free ahead of the 2022-23 season following a brilliant comeback with Brentford and his calming presence was immediately felt at the base of midfield.
Unfortunately, the 32-year-old struggles to maintain his best levels for any longer than 45 minutes at a time and his defensive limitations have hurt United more than once.
He has a contract through to the summer of 2025 which sees him earn £7.8million annually, but recouping a small transfer fee while they can would represent good business. 
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Raphael Varane
Another Real Madrid great who came to United at the end of their peak for huge money, Varane has been the club’s best defender at times, but simply cannot stay fit for long enough and is way too costly to be a rotation arm.
Going off everything we know about how Ratcliffe and INEOS want to run United, moving Varane on for a much younger, more affordable rotation option seems realistic.
Varane signed a deal through to 2025 when making the move in 2021, but with clever agent work and a compromise on a transfer fee, United should be able to move him on this summer and remove a £17.68million salary from their wage bill.
Victor Lindelof
Like Martial, Lindelof has overstayed his welcome at United. Around a few patches of good form, the Swede has never progressed from more than a squad player and cannot be relied upon when trying to push up to a higher level.
He signed under Jose Mourinho in 2017 for £31million and was handed a new contract in 2023, extending his deal through to 2025. He earns £6.24million annually – significantly less than some others – but is still a dead weight that could be moved on for a small fee.
Every little helps.
Sofyan Amrabat
With United out of cash to spend in the summer of 2023 but still needing reinforcement, they managed to strike a loan deal for Fiorentina midfielder Amrabat.
Earning around £3.4million annually – which United will be covering – his loan spell has largely been underwhelming and he is expected to return to Italy in the summer.
Easy money spared.
Jonny Evans
Returning to the club on a one-year deal ahead of the 2023-24 season, Evans was probably expecting lovely training sessions, plenty of golf and maybe football games once a month. Instead, he’s made 24 appearances in all competitions and started 12 times in the Premier League.
It’s actually a bit mental to think where United would’ve been without Evans this season, who has bailed them out more than once with brilliant performances.
The 36-year-old earns a salary of around £3.12million and is unlikely to stick around after this season, though, with some reports suggesting retirement is on the cards.
Either way, United cannot justify another year of putting poor Jonny through it. Let him go, save some money and do some smart business for once.
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