The scale of the task facing Erik ten Hag at Manchester United this summer cannot be underestimated.
Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard and Lee Grant have all confirmed their departures in recent months, while a number of other players including Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams have also been told they are free to leave should suitable offers be made.
A number of backroom members have already been shown the door - a move that has gone down well with supporters. Earlier in the season, Ralf Rangnick described the scale of the task facing Ten Hag, saying the club needed open heart surgery.
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He went on to suggest that United needed up to 10 signings in the transfer window. Rangnick did not go on to take up the consultancy role he was expected to fill post-tenure.
Ten Hag was asked whether he agreed with Rangnick's comments, and although he did not disagree with the man he replaced in the United dugout, he did say he was looking forward to working with the squad, suggesting the door may still be open for some who had seemed destined to leave.
Speaking to Sportskeeda, Merson seemed more inclined to agree with Rangnick's assessment than Ten Hag's, claiming that, aside from Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea, most of the United players were a "joke" last season. He added: “Apart from the occasional showing of consistency from Scott McTominay and Fred, none of the other players deserved more than a five out of 10 for the season.”
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