For Manchester United, the summer transfer window was not only an opportunity to clean up the squad but also an opportunity for coach Ruben Amorim to strengthen the squad.
After successfully recruiting Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, Man United turned their focus to liquidating players outside Amorim's plans. These are names that he has removed from the plan and have almost no future at Old Trafford. This list includes Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.
The Red Devils have significantly cut their salary funds and collected transfer fees and loans from four of the five players, keeping only Malacia. However, they had to accept a heavy loss when selling Antony. This £86 million contract only brought Man United £21.5 million from Real Betis.
The first person to leave Old Trafford was Rashford. Just 1 month after Amorim took office, the English striker was no longer in the plan and had to move to Aston Villa on loan in the second half of last season.
In this summer's transfer window, Rashford continued to be pushed to Barcelona under a 1-year loan deal. Notably, the Catalan team accepted to carry his entire whopping £325,000/week salary. This is a deal that is considered a financial success for Man United.
Under the terms, Barca have the right to buy Rashford for a fee of £30 million when the loan deal ends. This amount, thanks to Rashford's growth from Carrington's training center, will be accounted for as pure profit according to the Profit and Sustainability Regulation (PSR).
Alejandro Garnacho's situation is similar. The Argentine star publicly criticized Amorim after being left out of the squad for the Europa League final - where Man United lost 0-1 to Tottenham.
Since then, the door to Old Trafford has been almost closed for Garnacho. He was left out of Man United's summer tour to the US with a group of players who were considered redundant and were informed to proactively find a new destination.
Despite receiving attention from many clubs, including Napoli and Aston Villa, Garnacho is determined to choose Chelsea as the next destination. In the end, Man United accepted to let the Argentine talent leave under a long-term contract worth 40 million pounds.
They have previously negotiated to try to raise Chelsea's initial asking price from £25 million. Once again, the "Red Devils" earned a pure profit from the book thanks to Garnacho being counted as an adult product from the academy.
Having joined Atletico Madrid for a symbolic fee, Garnacho was once considered the brightest gem in Carrington. Therefore, his departure from Old Trafford brought many regrets.
Antony - the deal considered the most costly defeat in Man United's history - was also the biggest loss in this transfer window. The "Red Devils" accept selling at a loss to avoid having to pay severance pay to the Brazilian winger.
Meanwhile, Sancho moved to Aston Villa on loan on the last day of the transfer window. Villa agreed to take on 80% of the English striker's £300,000/week salary. And if Sancho meets the performance terms, Man United expects to be released all this huge salary.
Malacia is the only remaining member that Amorim has not been able to address. However, the Dutch defender's future remains uncertain, as the possibility of a complete departure is possible in tournaments where the transfer market has not yet closed.
Man United has almost completed the goal of liquidating the group of players no longer in the plan, both in terms of selling, lending and salary fund release.
While Rashford and Garnacho are products of Carrington's youth academy, Antony, Sancho and Malacia have spent a total of 173 million pounds on transfer fees (excluding wages).
According to inside sources, Man United still maintain financial discipline, comply with PSR regulations and control payments well. Eliminating these burdens is considered the next step in the process of rebuilding their squad.
With no need to contribute to the European arena this season, Amorim can work with a more "streamlined" team. He has had the players he wants and removed the names from the plan. There will now be no excuse for unconvincing results.
