Erik ten Hag to swing the axe! 13 Man Utd players on the chopping block as manager plots ruthless transfer clear-out

Erik ten Hag is looking to upgrade his squad ahead of next season as he looks to turn United into real Premier League title contenders. To do so, he will have to cut off a lot of dead wood and Manchester Evening News reports there are many candidates in line to be offloaded.

Goalkeeper Tom Heaton, centre-backs Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof as well as full-backs Brandon Williams and Alvaro Fernandez, who are on loan at Ipswich and Girona respectively, could all leave the club for free when their contracts expire at the end of the season. United have the option to extend the deals of Lindelof, Williams and Fernandez, but could decide to let them run out.

In midfield, United may opt to let Scott McTominay leave after being open to selling him last summer, while Christian Eriksen and Casemiro could be allowed to depart if offers come in for them. Plus, the Red Devils might decline to make Sofyan Amrabat's loan deal a permanent one.

United will try to get rid of Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho in January, while Anthony Martial will be allowed to leave at the end of the season.

Academy graduate Shola Shoretire, 19, could also be allowed to leave, having failed to break into the senior team despite being given a couple of appearances in the 2021-22 campaign.

Ten Hag guided United to a third-place finish in the Premier League in his first season in charge. However, they have endured a tough start to the current campaign, sitting as low as sixth after 12 matches. They are also in danger of crashing out of the Champions League with two matches left to play. United have been plagued by injuries so far, but the coach and his players have faced some heavy criticism for their performances and results.

United are back in Premier League action on November 26 with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton in the Premier League. Three days later, they will travel to Istanbul to take on Galatasaray in their penultimate Champions League group stage match.