‘Doddled through’ - Man Utd warned selling underperforming & overpaid flops will be tricky as Mauricio Pochettino prepares to draw up transfer plans for January window

The Red Devils have been accused of not doing enough in the summer of 2026 to ensure that the foundations of a third-place finish and Champions League qualification under Michael Carrick could be built upon.

Recruitment business was underwhelming, with no big money being splashed on game-changing performers. There was also no reinforcement work carried out on a defensive unit that has looked shaky and leaky for some time.

Prices are being paid for that, with Carrick being relieved of his managerial duties after overseeing a humbling tumble into the Premier League relegation zone. Rather than bringing in a no-nonsense coach such as Antonio Conte, United are putting their faith in former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Pochettino.

He will not arrive until a matter of days before a testing trip to Anfield and a meeting with Liverpool is taken in, giving the Argentine little time in which to address the issues that made life so difficult for his immediate predecessor and several high-profile tacticians prior to that.

Pochettino will want to put his own stamp on things, which could mean changes to the starting XI in upcoming fixtures. Once the turn of another calendar year is reached, a market will open in which fresh faces can be acquired - those that are willing to buy into an ambitious project and give nothing less than 100 per cent at all times.

United are considered to have too many players on their books at present that do not fit into that category. Efforts need to be made to get certain individuals out of the door, freeing up space in a squad that is in desperate need of a refresh.

Asked if there are big names in Manchester that should have serious fears when it comes to their respective futures, Premier League title-winning former United defender Parker - who was speaking in association with Players Time reports - told GOAL: “The problem is the ones who are under contract aren't going to leave because they know they're not going to get the money they're getting and they know that they're going to have to work a damn sight harder than what they've had to do over the last few years.

“They've doddled through, they've seen off managers, they're feeling invincible, so they should feel a little bit weaker now because the game's up. Everyone knows what's gone on now.

“I've been saying for years, now everyone knows it, not just other players or a few people in the media, the public know it, the general public know it. Even they're looking and scrutinising these players who have been in theory playing hooky, feigning injuries and then popping up just when a new manager appears.

“Those kinds of players, if I'm seeing it, people off the street are seeing it, Pochettino definitely knows about it and he knows the individuals. So as much as they’ll try their best, they know the long game and the long game tells them that they can't be at that club because their time of being successful has passed.”

United supporters will have their own opinions on who should and should not form part of plans for the immediate and long-term future at Old Trafford, but it is Pochettino who will be charged with making definitive calls.

He is inheriting a side sat 18th in the Premier League table, with just eight points being picked up across 10 games so far. A baptism of fire awaits on Merseyside, but that could also be considered the perfect fixture in which to rally the troops and get everybody back on the same page.