Stars on the run from Manchester United; even the top Serie A clubs are ready to take advantage
The crisis at Manchester United is becoming increasingly deep and complex. Sunday afternoon’s crushing 2-0 loss at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge—with the team forced to play the final half-hour a man down after Lisandro Martinez received his second yellow card—marked yet another low point in what has been a disastrous season so far.
The numbers tell a story of drastic regression: The Red Devils haven’t won a competitive match since September 10, when they defeated Sabah 4-0 at home in the Champions League group stage, while in the Premier League, they haven’t won since August 30, when they beat Ipswich Town 5-2. Since then, an inexplicable downward spiral has pushed the team to the brink of the relegation zone, while they’ve also suffered an early elimination from the Carabao Cup.
With Michael Carrick’s job increasingly on the line and his dismissal now seemingly only a matter of time, the increasingly likely coaching change could trigger a full-scale overhaul of the roster as early as the winter transfer window.
Several high-profile players are expected to consider leaving in January. Among them is Lisandro Martinez, the Argentine defender who found himself at the center of a storm following his red card at Stamford Bridge and who recently made particularly harsh and direct comments about his teammates—an unmistakable sign of a rift in the locker room. Also on his way out is Marcus Rashford, who is recovering from a hip injury and is looking for a new environment to relaunch his career.
Among the most delicate situations is that of Harry Amass, a left-back born in 2007 who arrived in Manchester amid enormous expectations but was overwhelmed by the chaotic environment at the Manchester club. Also on the fence are Matthijs de Ligt, who has never truly been able to return to the form he showed during his time at Juventus, and Joshua Zirkzee, a forward whose inconsistent performance suggests he is headed for a loan or permanent transfer.
In Italy, the major clubs are watching developments very closely. Juventus and Roma are keeping a close eye on Zirkzee, whom they had been tracking for a long time before his move to England and who has also been linked to Milan and Inter in the past. But the chaos at Old Trafford is tempting the entire Serie A landscape: from the Milan clubs to Napoli, including Roma and the ambitious Como, all clubs are on the hunt for affordable deals or loan signings to fill gaps in their rosters.
If Manchester United begins selling off players, the January transfer window for Italy’s top clubs could very well be dominated by English players—and not just a few.
