Erik ten Hag’s position as Manchester United manager is becoming more under threat as the season goes by. The Red Devils have started the season poorly, and find themselves in 14th in the Premier League after seven games. They have just seven points to their name and have scored five goals, the joint second-lowest in the top flight. It has certainly been a poor start to the new campaign.
With that in mind, it is not surprising that United’s hierarchy, headed by new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, are debating the Dutchman’s future as manager. The Manchester Evening News’ chief United writer, Samuel Luckhurst, claims the club are ‘lining up’ Thomas Tuchel as the new boss.
Should the German get the job at Old Trafford, he would no doubt want to make some changes to the squad. Not only would he want to add new faces, but he may also wish to move on some of United’s current stars. Here are three of them who could be given the boot…
1 Casemiro
The first player Tuchel might decide to move on from the club should he get the prestigious role at Old Trafford is midfielder Casemiro.
It is fair to say that the Brazilian has found life difficult in the last 18 months or so, and has looked like a shadow of his former self. The Brazil has struggled with his mobility around the pitch, lack of control in possession and tendency to dive into tackles.
United signed the 32-year-old from Real Madrid for a whooping £70m, leaving the club where he won the Champions League five times, including the legendary threepeat in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Sadly, United’s number 18 has had a steep decline in his form, which has seen his minutes diminish over the seasons he has been at the club. The Brazil international was a key player in his first campaign, playing 51 times and 3905 minutes as United won the Carabao Cup and finished fourth.
Last term, the midfield battler played fewer minutes, largely due to injury. He played 32 times in all competitions, and 2578 minutes in total. However, his decline was noticeable, and the midfielder has played just nine times, including six in the Premier League, just 548 minutes.
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When considering his rapid decline, and his wage of an eye-watering £350k per week, United’s highest earner, it may well make sense for Tuchel to move him on. The Red Devils have Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte and the likes of Toby Collyer who could take his place, so it might not be too much of a miss for United in the long run.
2 Antony
Antony is another player who could leave Old Trafford if Tuchel moves to the club. The winger joined the club for an extraordinary £81.3m fee but has underwhelmed during his time as a Red Devil.
The former Ajax winger, who played under Ten Hag in Amsterdam, has simply not lived up to expectations given the extortionate fee he cost. The winger has played 86 times for the club but has managed just 12 goals and five assists in that time.
2022/23
44
3118
8
3
2023/24
38
1910
3
2
2024/25
4
139
1
0
Granted, this is not just on the winger. He has not played in the same system where he thrived at Ajax, with Ten Hag’s United side at times happy to concede possession and become deadly in transition rather than be a side who have the majority of the ball, especially in the opposition’s third.
With that being said, he has not lived up to expectations and Tuchel might prefer other profiles of winger, more in the mould of Marcus Rashford. He has spoken highly of United’s number 10 in the past, calling him “a big threat” before praising the impact he has had at Old Trafford.
It certainly feels like a fresh start for the Brazilian at a new club would be the best thing for all parties. It also means the Red Devils get his wages off the books; Antony earns an extraordinary £200k per week, the fourth-highest earner at the club.
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ByLuke RandallSep 4, 2025 3 Victor Lindelof
One of United’s longest-serving players is now Victor Lindelof. The Sweden captain joined the club in June 2017, signing from Benfica for a fee of £31m. Whilst he played a key role at the back with Harry Maguire under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he has been more of a squad player under Ten Hag.
Lindelof has notched up an impressive number of appearances for the Red Devils. The 30-year-old has played 260 times for the Red Devils, even managing to score four goals and register seven assists.
However, the central defender has not had many minutes under Ten Hag since he took over at Old Trafford. He has played just 64 times under the tutelage of the Dutchman, and whilst he has suffered from injuries too in that time, he has not been the first choice ahead of the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
Nicknamed ‘The Iceman’, he was cool, calm and collected in arguably his finest moment in that famous Red shirt. Lindelof slotted home the winning penalty in the 2022/23 FA Cup semi-final shootout against Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley, to send United through to the showpiece event, which they ended up losing to Manchester City.
United’s number two has been a superb servant to the club and is into his eighth season at the 13-time Premier League champions. With that being said, United may well want to sell the defender, who earns £120k per week, if Tuchel becomes manager.
It is unsurprising that the German would want to give the squad a refresh should he get the job at Old Trafford. Casemiro, Antony and Lindelof are just three players who could depart, with Tuchel looking to bring in some new faces to help refresh the squad and take United back to the top of English and European football.
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