Fire sale? 

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It’s been a rollercoaster season for Manchester United but Michael Carrick has resurrected their fortunes and secured Champions League qualification. After defeating Nottingham Forest on Sunday, United sealed third place in the English Premier League and few would’ve predicted that at the beginning of the campaign, nevermind when Rúben Amorim was sacked in January. The Portuguese manager’s position became untenable after he lambasted the club’s hierarchy and Carrick improved them considerably.

The Old Trafford hierarchy have rewarded Carrick with the job on a permanent basis with an announcement on his two-year deal expected this week. The focus will already be firmly on the upcoming transfer window with the squad badly needing reinforcements to compete on two fronts next season. Two central midfielders are the priority for United amid Casemiro’s departure with a new left-back and versatile attacker also on the shopping list. Carrick, alongside United’s recruitment staff, will also need to make decisions on potential departures and we’ve analysed five main players with uncertain futures this summer.

Five Manchester United stars facing uncertain futures

The decision for United and Marcus Rashford to part ways last summer was unquestionably the best for all parties and it’s been vindicated. Rashford has enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Barcelona, winning LaLiga and registering 28 goal contributions across all competitions. Barca have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million, which represents a relative bargain in today’s market for a player of his stature.

The Catalan club, however, have stalled over activating the clause and it’s understood that Rashford’s wages are a potential stumbling block. Hansi Flick wants the 28-year-old to return to Spain on a permanent basis and that’s still the most likely outcome but doubts are increasing. It seems unthinkable that Rashford could revive his career at United, despite having a good relationship with Carrick, and if Barca don’t activate their clause then he will likely be sold elsewhere.

Manuel Ugarte realistically has no future at Old Trafford and he wanted to depart in January. United blocked that move due to a lack of depth in central midfield but Ugarte will move on this summer. It hasn’t worked out since his €50m move from PSG in 2024 and he’s clearly not favoured by Carrick. He’s only started once in 16 games under the current interim manager and he’s not played a single minute across the last five games.

Carrick has talked up Mason Mount in recent weeks, insisting that he can play a role at United next season but the decision to sign him for €67.7m from Chelsea was unquestionably a mistake. United have had very little return on their investment for a player with the same preferred position as Bruno Fernandes and he’s only made one start under Carrick. Now 27, Mount is on a significant wage at United, which will make it incredibly difficult to sell him this summer and he has two years left on his contract. The England international is a hard-working, talented footballer and should play more next season with more games but he realistically should be sold, if a suitable offer arrives.

Joshua Zirkzee is an extremely popular figure in the United dressing room but he seems destined to depart Old Trafford this summer. The Netherlands international is a supremely talented technician but he’s far from a natural goalscorer with just nine goals in 74 appearances since joining United from Bologna. Zirkzee isn’t a traditional centre-forward but that’s the role he’d be asked to play in Carrick’s 4-3-3 system and it would suit all parties best for him to seek a new challenge this summer. The 24-year-old has plenty of suitors across Europe and a return to Serie A, where he thrived at Bologna seems his likeliest destination.

Andre Onana has become the forgotten man but he’s set to return to Manchester this summer after his loan spell from Trabzonspor. The 30-year-old has generally had a solid season in Turkiyie and Trabzonspor would ideally make the move permanent but that will be incredibly difficult due to the finances involved. Their record signing is €6.9m and they won’t be able to afford Onana’s substantial wages. Senne Lammens has been a revelation since joining United and Onana has no future with his sale a certainty this summer.