Man Utd in crisis: Nine disenchanted players and their gripes revealed
Robin Bairner
- 7 Mar 2022 20:57 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United’s problems continue to grow, with up to nine players reportedly having grown “disenchanted” with life at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils suffered a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday in the derby, leaving them fifth and in grave danger of missing out on the Champions League next season.
As FootballTransfers exclusively revealed, Cristiano Ronaldo is actively pursuing a move to Paris Saint-Germain should Man Utd miss out on that competition next term – but this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Unrest at Man Utd
BBC Sport reports that seven players are ready to leave the club in the summer.
Three men who appear almost guaranteed to the depart are Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani, who have all had few opportunities this season.
Lingard and Cavani will be particularly bitter about the situation given that both were pushing for moves in 2021 only to be told they were valuable squad players and that they would have significant roles to play this time around. Even before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in the autumn, this was not the case.
Meanwhile, there are another group of fringe players similarly dissatisfied with their playing time.
Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial have been loaned out to Everton and Sevilla respectively. While Van de Beek’s future may lie at Goodison Park, FootballTransfers has confirmed that Martial will return to Man Utd. He is set to push for a move away to earn more game time, however.
The other two frustrated players, meanwhile, remain stuck at Old Trafford. Dean Henderson has had a wasted season in goal behind the in-form David de Gea, while Eric Bailly has fallen down the pecking order in central defence.
Man Utd player named 'teacher's pet'
A separate report from the Manchester Evening News echoes the concerns that Henderson and Bailly have, but chips in that Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford are also frustrated with their roles under Rangnick.
The MEN also adds that one unnamed member of the squad has been labelled a “teacher’s pet”, with the rift in the group absolutely apparent.
It makes for a massive headache for Rangnick and Man Utd. Not only is the end of their season jeopardised, they will need a massive summer transfer clear out, too.
