Ten Hag hints at five exits as players ‘kicked out of dressing room’

Erik ten Hag on Cristiano Ronaldo staying at Man Utd

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag may be inclined to sell as many as five players in the January transfer window after reportedly kicking a handful of squad members out of the first-team dressing room at Carrington. Ten Hag oversaw no less than six new arrivals during the summer months, with Antony, Casemiro, Martin Dubravka, Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez all having joined the Red Devils since the end of last season.

There is only enough room in United’s training-ground dressing room for 24 players, though, with the club’s new signings ultimately forcing Ten Hag to relocate several of their existing stars. Phil Jones, Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, Axel Tuanzebe and Shola Shoretire have all been forced to change in the under-21 dressing room further down the corridor at Carrington, according to The Sun.

The aforementioned quintet are seemingly out of Ten Hag’s thinking for the campaign ahead, which suggests that January moves could be on the horizon if they fail to work their way back in over the next few months. Jones has been linked with an exit for a number of years, with Newcastle having reportedly explored the possibility of snapping him up last summer, but whether he would still be a target for the Magpies when the transfer window opens again remains to be seen.

Jones has registered just 13 appearances for United over the last four seasons and would surely reap the rewards of a fresh start elsewhere if he is sold by Ten Hag in January. The recent arrival of Martinez has seen him pushed even further down the pecking order and it seems as though there is no way back for the ex-England international, who remains under contract until the end of the campaign.

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Tuanzebe could be another player set for the exit door in the not-too-distant future after failing to hold down a regular place in the United side over the last few years. He spent the first half of last season on loan at Aston Villa before he was recalled in January and shipped out to Napoli, where he only registered a single first-team appearance.

There could also be loan moves for the likes of Williams, Mengi and Shoretire when the transfer window re-opens at the turn of the year. All three players could benefit from temporary spells away from United in order to gain some valuable senior experience that will stand them in good stead to break through over the next few years.

Ten Hag, meanwhile, insisted towards the end of the summer window that Jones, Tuanzebe and Williams had not been made available for moves in order to stay and provide injury cover for the club’s other defensive options.

“Am I expecting more players to go out? It can be,” said Ten Hag. “But who you are talking about, they are in this moment not available, so I don’t think they will go out in this window.”

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