Paul Ince urges Man Utd to sell five players this summer
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince has named the five players he believes the Red Devils need to sell this summer.
United lost 4-0 to Everton on Sunday afternoon,which has thrown United’s top-four aspirations into doubt.
Do United need a big overhaul? Five things you need to know…
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was brought in to replace Jose Mourinho in December.
- Solskjaer won his first eight games in charge but United have now lost three of their last five league games.
- United conceded 13 goals in Solskjaer’s opening 17 games but have conceded 16 in the past eight games.
- Paul Pogba is United’s top scorer (16) in all competitions, the club’s second-lowest total since the 1994/95 season.
- The defeat to Everton saw United break a few unwanted records.
https://audioboom.com/posts/7234057-i-can-t-think-of-any-potential-arsenal-signings-that-make-more-sense
Sitting in sixth and currently fighting for a top-four position in the Premier League, a thumping defeat to Marco Silva’s Everton has further highlighted the big scale changes Solskjaer needs to implement if United are to compete at the highest level once again.
Speaking on Radio Five Live, Ince was asked which United players should be allowed to stay at the club before the start of next season.
Ince’s opinions were damning, with the likes of Phil Jones, Nemanja Matic and summer signing Fred all on Ince’s departure list.
Perhaps most surprisingly, Ince believes his former club should get rid of forward duo Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial, who he feels haven’t performed up to the high standards expected by the Old Trafford faithful.
The conversation went as follows:
David De Gea: “All day long.”
Chris Smalling: “Yes.”
Phil Jones: “No”
Victor Lindelof: “He’s got better. I think you can work on him.”
Diogo Dalot: “He’s still a young player.”
Nemanja Matic: “No.”
Paul Pogba: “On his day yes. I would probably keep him.”
Fred: “No.”
Romelu Lukaku: “No.”
Anthony Martial: “No.”
Marcus Rashford: “Rashford all day long. He’s Manchester United through and through. He loves Manchester.”
Ashley Young: “Young has been a great professional. We all have to move on eventually, though.”
Scott McTominay: “A young kid who will improve.
Andreas Pereira: “Another young player.”
The five players Ince has suggested should be ushered towards the Old Trafford exit have cost the club a hefty £242m – assuming Martial’s rising fee has now reached the maximum £58m.
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Should Lukaku and Martial leave?
Admittedly, neither player has produced performances of a high standard consistently enough to deserve a guaranteed spot in Solskjaer’s starting XI next season.
However, both players still offer a significant attacking threat on their day and it may be too hasty to cast them onto the rubbish heap.
Only six sides in Premier League history have had four players with 10+ goals in a single season:
🔴 Man Utd (1995/96)
🔵 Chelsea (2009/10)
🔵 Chelsea (2010/11)
🔴 Arsenal (2012/13)
🔵 Man City (2017/18)
🔴 Man Utd (2018/19)The Red Devils make another entry. pic.twitter.com/wNeU2O1BRP
— Squawka (@Squawka) March 30, 2019
Lukaku is United’s second top-scorer in all competitions (15) this season, with Martial not too far behind on 12 goals. At the age of 25 and 23 respectively, both players still have plenty of time to establish themselves in United folklore.
Lukaku cost United £75 million when he moved from Everton in 2017 and has scored 42 goals in 94 appearances for the Red Devils, averaging a goal every 2.23 games.
Martial has been less prolific with 48 goals in 172 outings, averaging a goal every 3.58 games but he has often been deployed as a winger.
The Frenchman only recently signed a new five-year deal while Lukaku is a proven Premier League goalscorer and is already Belgium’s all-time top-scorer with 45 goals in 79 caps.
