Andre in, Casemiro out: What Man Utd need in January transfer window

Jacque Talbot

• 19 Dec 2023 14:58 GMT
• 5 min read

Manchester United have had a chaotic season so far in what has been Erik ten Hag’s second term.

After being dumped out of Champions League football despite being set against a relatively mediocre group, they faced Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday and somehow secured a point. It could be a platform to build upon, but there have been a lot of false dawns for Man Utd before.

Even with the partial takeover from Sir Jim Ratcliffe likely to go through early next year, there is still the pressing need to bring in fresh faces. The club will look to move on a few of their first-team players, with the likes of Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho thought to be headed for the exit.

Financial Fair Play constraints mean there will not be much in terms of a transfer kitty, so the club will have to look at the loan market more than anything - or at least sell to buy. Here we take a look at who should leave in the winter window and who the club should bring in.

Jadon Sancho - depart

Jadon Sancho’s fallout with Erik ten Hag has gone on for close to three months. There has still been no apology and no chance of amending any relationship. Either one of them will have to go - Ten Hag appears to have landed some time with the incoming takeover and the draw against Liverpool.

Juventus have been linked to Sancho and at the moment the likelihood of Ten Hag leaving is very small. For the benefit of the club and the player's future, Sancho should head for the exit before his career is damaged still further.

Antony Martial - depart

It’s incredible to think that, bar a loan to Sevilla, Martial has been with the club for almost nine years. It’s been a dreadful spell and in many respects, that purchase embodies everything wrong with Man Utd. Here was a young, talented star, perhaps the new Thierry Henry, but as the months went on, a developing Martial got sucked into the toxic culture and became nothing more than a high earner who, when not injured, would deliver mildly good football on occasion. This nightmare has to end now.

Casemiro - depart

Casemiro was decent last season - let’s not get ahead of ourselves; he was sent off way too much to be worthwhile of his £70 million - and this season, things have got worse. He is currently out injured, and during the early stages of the season, he looked unfit and not match-ready.

There is a player there, but it’s not the one who was at Real Madrid, nor is it someone whose displays reflect a wage of £350,000. He needs to move on as Man Utd rebuild, even if he can offer stability from time to time.

Marcus Edwards - purchase

Marcus Edwards has quietly been smashing it up in Portugal for Sporting CP. We know that he has already been scouted, and it would represent a relatively cheap option as a Sancho replacement. Surely his volume of goals and assists would be a marked improvement on Antony, too.

Benjamin Sesko - purchase

Yes, it’s a tall order. It would take an initial loan plus a mandatory to buy. At RB Leipzig, it’s Lois Openda who is the leading man. Sesko is getting sporadic chances, particularly of late, but he will be wanting game time for his career. Here lies a potentially world-class striker who could be open to a move. Young enough to succeed and grow. Man Utd should be knocking on Leipzig’s door, if they are not already.

Andre - purchase

FootballTransfers broke the story that Man Utd had inquired after Andre. Now it’s come to fruition that they have done so because the future of Casemiro isn’t clear. The midfielder could be moving on, reports suggest, while Andre would be an ideal almost like-for-like replacement.

Also a Brazil international, Man Utd would be getting someone a lot younger than Casemiro - by eight years - while the fee could even be around £25m. A shrewd piece of business - Man Utd are owed one of them.