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Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge of Manchester United could not have gone any better as the Red Devils thrashed Leicester City 5-2 in their Carabao Cup Round of 16 tie at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Under former manager Erik ten Hag, the 20-time English league champions had never scored five goals against Premier League opposition and had often struggled to find the back of the net.
Van Nistelrooy had the players playing with freedom and it showed as Casemiro, one of the stars who had let down the former Ajax boss, ran riot against the Foxes and netted a brace and should have scored a hat-trick.
However, despite his impressive displays on the night, Ten Hag’s potential replacement Ruben Amorim has decided to cut loose the Brazilian.
Amorim’s ruthless cull
Teamtalk have revealed that the Portuguese has already identified the players he does not want as part of his project and that list includes three players brought to the club by the former boss.
Apart from the former Real Madrid superstar, the Sporting Lisbon is also keen to get rid of perennial underperformer Antony and Christian Eriksen, alongwith long-term servant of the club Victor Lindelof.
“Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Amorim has already begun discussing his transfer plans with the Man Utd board. We understand that there are four players that ‘don’t interest him’ and he is ready to sell in January.
“We understand that Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof are not part of Amorim’s long term plans. The duo are out of contract at the end of the season and the manager has no desire to offer them extensions.
“Amorim is also ready to offload Casemiro and Antony, who have fallen down the pecking order. The Man Utd board are in agreement that their performances do not reflect their respective wages.”
The right winger has struggled since his big-money move in Ten Hag’s first summer in charge and INEOS have been eager to get rid. And Amorim seems to be on the same page.
Eriksen, who has enjoyed a renaissance this season, has also been identified as someone who needs an upgrade while Lindelof has struggled for form and fitness for the last few seasons now.
Replacement list ready
Amorim wants all of them gone in January to earn a fee which he can later use to strengthen his side but Casemiro and Antony’s enormous wages might throw a spanner in the works.
Both Lindelof and Eriksen can agree pre-contract agreements in the winter and hence, not too many teams will be open to spending to sign the duo.
As relayed by The Peoples Person, the Portuguese tactician has already identified three replacements he wants to bring in to strengthen the Old Trafford giants.
But whether United can afford the trio of Goncalo Inacio, Marcus Edwards, and Pedro Goncalves, after their splurge to land Amorim and get rid of Ten Hag remains to be seen.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
