Decision comes after Rashford, Garnacho, Sancho, Antony and Malacia requested to leave the club
Manchester United have told five senior players, namely Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia, that they will not be required for the start of pre-season training next week after each requested to leave the club.
The quintet have been granted additional time to resolve their futures away from the rest of the squad. However, the club have informed them that they are free to use medical and recovery facilities at Carrington; they just will not participate in group sessions.
Rashford’s departure has seemed all but certain for months, but especially so following confirmation that his No 10 shirt has been reassigned to new signing Matheus Cunha, who arrived from Wolves last month.
Garnacho is another high-profile exit candidate. Despite being one of United’s most promising academy graduates, the winger saw his minutes dwindle in the final weeks of last season.
After being used only as a late substitute in the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, he gave a blunt post-match interview, saying: “Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today – I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”
United value Garnacho at around £60 million, and Chelsea have expressed interest. The club will be hoping his sale can provide financial room for further reinforcements this summer.
Rashford, meanwhile, has drawn interest from Barcelona, who recently missed out on Nico Williams. The 27-year-old is said to be open to a move to Spain and has been training individually in Marbella as he awaits clarity over a potential transfer.
Sancho, who returned from a loan spell at Chelsea, is in talks with Juventus. The London club declined to make his move permanent. Antony impressed during a short stint at Real Betis and is weighing options in Spain, while Malacia’s loan at PSV was marred by fitness issues, which have also limited interest in the full-back.
If none of the five players finalise moves this month, United are prepared to welcome them back to the squad later in pre-season, although none are expected to play a prominent role going forward.
