It turns out Manchester United chiefs are actually pretty good at transfers, and a veto of a Michael Carrick request will be another win…
It has long been the perception about Man Utd that they have been very poor at transfers since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, and this is true to a certain degree.
Man Utd have got a lot wrong in the transfer market, but there has been a turning of the tide since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his recruitment team took over.
Ratcliffe and co. have been far from perfect regarding other matters (i.e., with his brutal cost-cutting programme), but they have been pretty on the money with transfers.
Benjamin Sesko is their only potential blot on their summer recruitment, while the doubts about the January 2025 signing of Patrick Dorgu have started to evaporate as he has thrived in an advanced role.
And even better work has been done on outgoings: In the summer, Tyrell Malacia was their only ‘bomb squad’ member to stick around, with Man Utd managing to offload Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund on their teams with significant fees secured in all but one of these deals (Sancho is out of contract in the summer and will inevitably leave on a free transfer).
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This business enabled Man Utd to invest £230m on signings last summer, and they are well-placed to be in a position to spend even more in this summer’s window as cash will come in via the sales of Rashford and Hojlund, while they could also benefit from Mason Greenwood’s sell-on clause and Champions League qualification.
United’s wage bill will be further boosted by the exit of Casemiro, who is confirmed to be leaving upon the expiry of his contract instead of accepting a pay cut to remain at the club.
And the Red Devils also look to be going this correct route with Harry Maguire, who finds himself in the same boat as Casemiro in terms of contract.
Earlier this week, The Daily Mail reporter Nathan Salt explained why Maguire is ‘increasingly unlikely’ to remain at Man Utd despite Carrick’s admiration of the England international.
“He’s played well in the past two games – winning the man-of-the-match award at Arsenal – but it feels increasingly unlikely,” Salt said.
“United have had ample opportunity to get Maguire on to fresh terms but there appears to be limited willingness at this stage to do so with his contract now around five months from expiry.
“Carrick is a fan of Maguire but senior United figures are keen to see next season’s minutes go to Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, two young players that United believe will be the bedrock of the backline for years to come.”
The Athletic’s Andy Mitten has since added that ‘Maguire’s future will likely boil down to money and the length of the contract being offered’, while he ‘needs to be playing every week and United’s view is that if he’s doing that, the case for a new contract is a much stronger one’.
But the reality is that Maguire is unlikely to retain his current importance for much longer.
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Like Carrick, Maguire has benefited from circumstance, returning to fitness and form at a time when Man Utd are on a rare upswing and while Matthijs de Ligt is unavailable.
Maguire has been really good for Man Utd in their last two games, but he is still unlikely to be ahead of De Ligt in the pecking order once Carrick (or his successor) has a fully fit squad, while Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are also there to replace him.
Had Casemiro signed a cut-price extension to remain at Man Utd, his wage would still have been among the highest in the squad and it would have been difficult to justify when he would have been a bit-part player behind Carlos Baleba and/or Elliot Anderson next season.
And with INEOS setting a precedent regarding how they will handle ageing players and their expiring contracts, it should be expected that Maguire follows Casemiro out of the door for a new adventure with his head held high.
This would be the right step for all parties and another move in the right direction for INEOS.
