Manchester United have submitted their 25-man Premier League squad – with a few somewhat surprising inclusions.
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All Premier Leagues had to name their squads on Wednesday, though only players over the age of 21 have to be included.
That means the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and new signing Rasmus Hojlund are not on the list but are still eligible to play.
The six other summer additions – Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, Jonny Evans, Sofyan Amrabat and Sergio Reguilon are as expected included.
However, a trio of stars currently on the fringes of Erik ten Hag’s side have made the cut, namely Jadon Sancho, Antony and Donny van de Beek.
Antony has been given a leave of absence from Old Trafford as he contests allegations of domestic abuse against him, but his selection perhaps suggests that United feel the matter will be resolved soon.
Van de Beek meanwhile is a player that most will have forgotten is still with the Red Devils, as the midfielder was largely expected to leave over the summer after three terrible years at the club.
The Dutchman was linked with a whole host of clubs across Europe, including Real Sociedad, but ultimately United were unable to shift him despite being willing to listen to ‘any offers’ for the flop.
But most eye-catching of all is the inclusion of Jadon Sancho, whose future in Manchester is very uncertain following his public war of words with Ten Hag.
Manchester United’s Premier League squad 2023/24:
Goalkeepers
Altay Bayindir
Tom Heaton
Andre Onana
Defenders
Diogo Dalot
Jonny Evans*
Victor Lindelof
Harry Maguire*
Tyrell Malacia
Lisandro Martinez
Sergio Reguilon
Luke Shaw*
Raphael Varane
Aaron Wan-Bissaka*
Midfielders
Sofyan Amrabat
Casemiro
Christian Eriksen
Bruno Fernandes
Scott McTominay*
Mason Mount*
Facundo Pellistri
Donny van de Beek
Forwards
Antony
Anthony Martial
Marcus Rashford*
Jadon Sancho*
*Player counts towards homegrown quota
The winger held crunch talks with his manager earlier this week and though some reports suggest he is now desperate to leave the club, in an interesting development the 23-year-old has now deleted his social media post in which he called Ten Hag a liar.
He had been named in United’s Champions League squad last week and his inclusion in the Premier League one could be further interpreted as a sign that he has begun to mend his relationship with his boss.
Alternatively, it could mean nothing at all and it should also be noted that Sancho does help United toward reaching their eight homegrown players quota.
We are likely to learn more about Sancho’s fate ahead of United’s first game back from the international break, with the Red Devils hosting Brighton on Saturday.
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