Five of Rúben Amorim’s current crop at Manchester United could be released at the end of the current season as major changes continue to be made.
Manchester United carried out a sweeping overhaul of their squad during the 2025 summer transfer window, with Rúben Amorim deciding that several senior players did not fit into his plans.
Alejandro Garnacho was the first major departure, the 21-year-old completing a £40 million switch to Chelsea, while Antony joined Real Betis for £21.5 million with a 50% sell-on clause included.
A number of loan deals were also approved, as Rasmus Højlund moved to Napoli, Marcus Rashford joined Barcelona, and Jadon Sancho signed for Aston Villa for the season.
After the English window shut, André Onana secured a surprise loan to Trabzonspor, with Amorim having relegated him to second choice behind Altay Bayındır.
Five players could be released in 2026
With United continuing to work out which players they would like to keep at the club long-term, there are several stars who will likely leave United once the transfer window opens in 2026.
According to The Sun, Tom Heaton will not be offered a new contract once his current deal expires at the end of June next year, with the veteran goalkeeper already planning for a career change into either coaching or punditry.
Following Heaton’s pending exit, four others are currently set to depart from the club at the end of the season, with their contracts expiring.
Harry Maguire, who is part of Amorim’s current leadership group alongside Heaton, is yet to be offered a new deal, while Casemiro and Sancho will not be handed new ones.
Meanwhile, the same situation holds for left-back Tyrell Malacia. The Dutchman failed to find a route out of Old Trafford last summer after being informed that he was not part of Amorim’s plans, and is currently training with the U21s group.
Maguire wants to retire at United
Despite Maguire’s contract being set to expire at the end of the current campaign, the centre-back confirmed in late August that he expects to sit down with the club soon to speak about new terms.
“I’m sure over the next few months we’ll have a conversation about where we want to go and if they want to extend,” the 32-year-old said.
“I have something in my mind about what I want to do. I don’t want to put it out there [publicly], but it’s an amazing club to play for, and you’d be silly if you wanted to jump out of it as soon as you could.
“I think there were a couple of clubs who enquired or spoke with them [the club], and I think they got a quick response.”
Although Maguire does not reveal his intention in the above quotes, a report from MailSport claimed at the beginning of August that the club’s current plan is to offer him a deal that would see him spend the rest of his career at Old Trafford.
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