Manchester United ended their season with victory over Aston VillaManchester United ended their season with victory over Aston Villa
Manchester United ended their season with victory over Aston Villa | AFP via Getty Images
Man Utd have announced their list of released players with Victor Lindelof’s exit a reminder of a sliding doors transfer decision.
Manchester United will be hoping that they can move out a lot of the players who have struggled to adapt to Ruben Amorim’s system and those who have failed to live up to their expensive transfer fees and wages.
It is one of the hardest aspects of player trading, after all, who wants to buy players that are on inflated salaries and don’t offer value for money?
One big earner has been confirmed as leaving though with a sliding doors moment serving as a painful reminder as to what United could have won had they made a different decision in the transfer market.
Man Utd transfer blunder sees Victor Lindelof exit serve as painful Virgil van Dijk reminder
At 30-years old, Victor Lindelof should be at his peak, instead, he started just 16% of United’s Premier League games last season. The player that the Red Devil’s recruitment team decided not to sign played almost every minute as his side lifted the Premier League trophy - Virgil van Dijk.
With Lindelof’s departure confirmed, it’s hard not to remember the wrong turn that United made, as once revealed on Talksport by Charlie Austin: “I remember in the back end of his Southampton career, we were on the bench at Chelsea away. I was sat there (and said): "Come on Virg, what's going on? Surely Manchester United must have been in for you? It's a massive club in England."
“And he said: ‘In the summer it was between me or Lindelof. And they signed Lindelof. No-one knows that.’ I couldn't believe it. I was gobsmacked. There was talk in the summer about whether he was going to go there and they've gone and taken Lindelof instead.”
Lindelof isn’t the only player to leave United this summer with Christian Eriksen and Jonny Evans the other notable senior players who have departed at the end of their respective contracts.
It won’t clear the way for a series of big money signings, but it is a start and frees up a bit of space for Amorim to play with on the wage bill.
United confirm release list for out of contract veterans
The club’s official statement was professional, however, it lacked the sort of emotion that would be expected for a player who was at United for eight years.
It read: “Manchester United's retained list has been sent to the Premier League, including confirmation of several players leaving the club. Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof are among those departing, as their contracts come to an end.
“Denmark midfielder Eriksen scored on his 108th and final appearance for the club, with a penalty in our 2-0 final-day win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford last month. Lindelof and Evans also featured in that game, bringing up their 284th and 241st appearances, respectively.
“For Sweden captain Lindelof, it brought down the curtain on an eight-year United career that has seen him win Emirates FA Cup and League Cup winners’ medals, alongside Eriksen.”
Two trophies in eight years? It’s not a stretch to say that Van Dijk could have helped United to be a lot more successful and that this summer, this is the type of mistake that the recruitment team can’t make again.
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