Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire was offered a one-year contract extension
Manchester United have been told they need to part ways with an astonishing 26 players if they aim to recapture their former glory.
Under Ruben Amorim's stewardship, the team is bracing itself for substantial changes across the coming transfer periods. Ex-United defender Paul Parker has expressed his desire to see a vast portion of the senior squad be let go by Amorim and Ineos.
With the Reds faltering this season, multiple star players find themselves at risk. Parker believes that an extraordinary 80% of the team needs to exit Old Trafford.
The first-team squad on United's website includes 32 players, loanees among them. "I don't think anything is going to work at Manchester United until 80 per cent of the current players are gone," Parker told Instant Casino. "You can't keep patting a dog on the head if it's not listening to you – at one point you've got to just scream if it's not been disciplined enough. That's what's happening in this moment in time at the club."
He further suggested that Harry Maguire's extended contract illustrates ongoing missteps in squad management. Maguire, who had fallen out of favour under Erik ten Hag, saw his agreement at Old Trafford lengthened by an additional year through the activation of a clause.
The centre-back reportedly bags £190,000 weekly, which Parker notes could be better spent, particularly since Ineos has recently implemented harsh staff reductions, resulting in 250 job losses last year at United. Reports suggest that further job cuts are on the horizon, with more redundancies expected in the coming months.
Reflecting on the club's decisions, Parker added: "I look at Harry Maguire getting the option on his contract taken up by the club – all you're doing is just giving another 12 months to what's been going on for the last eight years. It just didn't make any sense to me. If Maguire had left, then maybe Manchester United wouldn't have had to have sacked those poor members of staff who have been at the club for years and years!"
Despite the tactical mismatch with his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, Amorim only welcomed one new player to United during the January transfer window. Left-wing-back Patrick Dorgu joined from Lecce in Italy for an initial fee of £24million.
The major talking point of the window, however, was the departure of high earners from Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford and Antony both left on loan deals to Aston Villa and Real Betis respectively, drawing significant attention to United's outgoings.
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