Erik ten Hag confirms Manchester United fringe trio to stay at Old Trafford this summer

Three Red Devils have avoided the executioners axe this transfer window

August 27, 2022 at 10:33 am BST

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams are all expected to remain at Old Trafford beyond transfer deadline day as a result of injuries, despite the trio having started just two games between them since the turn of the year.

Both Williams and Tuanzebe flattered to deceive on loan, with the left-back failing to keep Norwich in the Premier League and Tuanzebe managing just 130 minutes for Napoli in the second half of last season.

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And it was widely assumed that all of the trio would depart, with fellow out-of-favour defender Eric Bailly having already left on loan this summer.

However, Ten Hag has confirmed that all three are now set to stay at Old Trafford as a result of injuries picked up over the summer, further frustrating attempts at a squad overhaul.

“Am I expecting more players to go out? It can be [possible]”, he told the media, before adding that “who you are talking about, they are in this moment not available. So I don’t think they will go out in this window.”

Incomings?

Manchester United are continuing to weigh up whether to go back in for Antony, having seen a 90m euro offer for the Ajax man turned down by his current club despite his outspoken desire to leave the club.

AMSTERDAM - Antony Matheus Dos Santos of Ajax celebrates 2-1 during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and FC Groningen at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on August 14, 2022 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ANP MAURICE VAN STEEN 2JNXGNM AMSTERDAM - Antony Matheus Dos Santos of Ajax celebrates 2-1 during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and FC Groningen at the Johan Cruijff ArenA on August 14, 2022 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ANP MAURICE VAN STEEN (Alamy Stock Photo)

Aaron Wan-Bissaka could still leave the club this summer should a buyer appear and the Red Devils be able to source a replacement, while speculation around the future of Cristiano Ronaldo continues to swirl.

Meanwhile, they are progressing with a loan move for Martin Dubravka, with a loan move from Newcastle set to include a potential £5m option to buy the veteran shot-stopper next summer.