Manchester United’s squad will have a new look as they return to first-team training but that will be in spite of their relatively quiet transfer window to date.
Mason Mount completed his move to Old Trafford from Chelsea on Tuesday with United paying an initial £55m plus up to £5m in add-ons. He became United's first summer signing as manager Erik ten Hag readies his squad for Champions League football.
This would always be a significant transfer window for the Red Devils with a multitude of comings and goings wanted by boss Erik ten Hag and the club’s hierarchy. However, the uncertainty of the club’s ongoing takeover process has predictably slowed plans with minimal activity to date.
Due to an absence of incomings and a plethora of absentees due to prolonged breaks following international duty last month, Ten Hag is set to promote the trio of youngsters Charlie Savage, Maxi Oyedele and Isak Hansen-Aaroen to senior training.
Wales Under-21 international Savage, son of Robbie, is back at United following a loan spell at Forest Green Rovers. Polish youth international, Oyedele, is back from a loan at Altrincham. Hansen-Aaroen is a Norwegian youth star who made seven first-team appearances for Tromso, making his debut at the age of 15.
Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe left at the end of their contracts while Zidane Iqbal and Ethan Laird both secured permanent exits. Yet there is no shortage of players in the squad whom Ten Hag wants to be moved on in order to refine his squad.
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Alex Telles and Eric Bailly have both returned from loan spells at Sevilla and Marseille respectively, with neither features in Ten Hag’s plans. The club are also open to exits for Fred, Scott McTominay, Brandon Williams and club captain Harry Maguire.
One plus for Ten Hag is the return of the highly talented Amad after a productive loan season at Sunderland, where he bagged 14 goals. Hannibal Mejbri is also back after a loan at Birmingham – but United are seeking to facilitate his permanent exit, with Borussia Dortmund interested.
There will be a significant number of absentees from United’s training sessions over the next week. Dean Henderson, Lisandro Martinez, Donny van de Beek, Kobbie Mainoo and Antony are among those who are recovering from long-term injury issues and will not be involved in full training.
Furthermore, 15 first-team players will not return to training until later in the month due to their participation in the June international matches. This list includes Maguire, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Anthony Elanga, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Facundo Pellistri, Telles and Bailly.
