Manchester United have clarified the situation over David de Gea, with the Spanish keeper now a free agent.
After 12 years at Old Trafford, and 545 appearances in all competitions, the 32-year-old saw his current contract expire on Friday. Having initially agreed a downgrade on his huge £375,000 a week wages, negotiations then broke down when the club performed a u-turn and asked their No 1 to take a further cut.
However, his stint at United isn't necessarily over. The club released a statement on Friday night clarifying the status of players who had been out on loan in the 2022/23 season, as well as those who had been at the club on temporary deals.
And confirming that discussions were still being held with De Gea, who has helped the Red Devils to one Premier League title as well as Europa League, FA Cup, and League Cup wins, they said: "Meanwhile, David De Gea's contract is due to run out but discussions remain open with the long-serving keeper."
One player who is definitely heading out the door though is Marcel Sabitzer. After joining on loan from Bayern Munich in February, the attacking midfielder played 18 times for the club, scoring three times.
However, Erik ten Hag has seemingly followed the advice of ex-United icon Paul Scholes, who previously implied that the 29-year-old did not have what it takes to command a regular starting place. Indeed, he labelled Sabitzer, who missed the run-in with a knee injury, as a "squad player" who the Dutch boss could only insert in the XI in certain games.
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"He would be one who comes into them bigger games," Scholes, said, on BT Sport. "We had people like Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea who went into midfield - proper athletes, absolutely brilliant coming into them games, getting against people.
"You’d worry about Eriksen and Fernandes in them situations but someone like Sabitzer you can rely on. He gets the ball - Fred, people like that - so as a squad player."
Another loan player not to be offered a permanent deal is Wout Weghorst, who will instead head back to Burnley. "Both (Sabitzer and Weghorst) made telling contributions to our Carabao Cup success and clinching a top-three place in the Premier League, with Weghorst supplying the assist for Marcus Rashford's goal in the final win over Newcastle United at Wembley," said United.
