5 Manchester United players who are likely to leave at the end of the season
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United could be in for yet another squad rebuild with a mass exodus likely to take place in the summer.
The Manchester United ship has steadied considerably under interim manager Ralf Rangnick. After two disappointing 1-1 draws against Burnley and Southampton, they have now picked up back-to-back wins over Brighton and Leeds United.
The fact that the Red Devils have been able to carve out plenty of chances in all of these matches is definitely an encouraging sign for the side. With the likes of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho sharing the load of chance creation, the team has looked balanced and well-rounded.
However, to sustain this momentum and continue with the improvement, this Manchester United squad needs to stay largely unperturbed. The way things are going right now, the Red Devils might need to do things all over again as some of their key players are set to leave this summer.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five Manchester United players who are likely to leave at the end of the season.
(Note: Players out on loan like Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek haven't been included)
#5 Eric Bailly
Manchester United signed Eric Bailly six years ago during Jose Mourinho's managerial reign. Bailly has oscillated between the extraordinary and the reckless over his injury-plagued stint at Manchester United.
His constant fitness problems have now made the Old Trafford faithful resigned to the fact that Bailly might never really fulfill the promise he showed in his early years.
The 27-year-old is likely to leave the club in the summer as he is currently behind Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones in the pecking order. As per reports, Jose Mourinho is interested in working with Bailly again.
In fact, it has been claimed that the 'Special One' tried to sign the centre-back during the summer transfer window at AS Roma. The Serie A outfit are now expected to return for Bailly this summer.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho ‘targeting Eric Bailly transfer six years after bringing Ivorian defender to Man Utd’ thesun.co.uk/sport/football…
#4 Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani became a fan favorite at Manchester United after producing several quality performances in his first season at the club. He scored 17 goals and has provided six assists in 39 appearances across all competitions in the 2020-21 season.
What makes those figures impressive is the fact that he came off the bench in almost half of those games. The Uruguayan international then extended his contract by a year in the summer.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival and niggling injury issues have rendered Cavani a peripheral figure at the club. He has started just six Premier League games this season.
The 34-year-old's involvement in the Champions League has also been limited to three substitute appearances. Cavani's contract expires in the summer and he is very likely to depart at the end of the season.
Leeds will be #mufc's 35th game of the season and the 20th Cavani has missed. He didn't play for eight weeks after the Copa America and hasn't been in the squad for the first match back after any of the four rounds of international fixtures.