Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was far too gluttonous
with his squad options and hoarded talent
throughout his time at the club, despite
relying on a core group of individuals to
bring regularity to his side whenever possible
. It's an understandable approach, but United
are still feeling the repercussions as
Rangnick deals with the reality of many
unhappy players behind the scenes.
Anthony martial is the latest player to
publicly voice a desire to leave next month,
via the method of his agent, while Jesse
Lingard Is also keen on a move after promises
over playing time weren't kept by his former
manager.
It is the attacking duo who represent the
biggest news ahead of the next transfer
window, with both of them harbouring
World Cup ambitions for next winter and
well aware that in order to get international
recalls they need to be playing regularly
elsewhere.
Martial has long overstayed his welcome
at Old Trafford and, despite a good contribution
to the cause, he has steadily slipped down
the pecking order, overtaken by the likes of
Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood,
then made obsolete after the summer
additions of Jadon Sancho and Cristiano
Ronaldo.
It's a different story for Lingard, who has
seen his stock soar after redemption at West
Ham earlier in the year. The consensus now
is that he should be playing more often, but
because he is not a long-term solution,
he is probably not worthy of a lengthy
contract extension either.
If United really do want to operate like an
elite side again then there can be no room for
sentiment when it comes to the January transfer
window and, in the case of Martial and Lingard,
the duo must be sold if the club is really to
move on from the tedious cycle they have
been caught in.
The argument is further propelled by the
fact that United would not necessarily need
to replace them either, with an abundance
of young hopefuls lurking in the periphery,
itching to get their chance in the first-team.
Instead of bulking up the bench with Martial
and Lingard there could be a fresh look to
United next year with more regular squad
involvement for the likes of Anthony Elanga,
Shola Shoretire, Amad and Hannibal Mejbri.
All four of those players have to be classified
as contenders to go out on loan given the
crossroads they are currently at in their young
careers, though a chance of sporadic
senior involvement could be enough for
at least one of them to stay at the club
and gain priceless experience on a more
regular basis.
In the long-term United might well decide
that a more senior recruit is needed in order
to bolster their attacking players, but for now
they have plenty of unproven youngsters
who deserve an equal opportunity to showcase
why they can be the solution.
There is no excuse for another quiet January
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