The Man Utd Five: Ousted but not out

Ruben Amorim was unequivocal.

Did he know what he wanted his squad to look like when Manchester United returned for the start of pre-season training in July?

"Yes," he said. "I have a clear idea what we want.

"As you know, we are a bit limited and we can't do it all in one summer but there is a clear picture for what we want."

These words were just over six weeks ago, as the United head coach bade farewell to journalists following the club's end-of-season tour to Asia.

With the club back in training, and the first pre-season game against Leeds in Stockholm on Saturday, it is fair to assume that desired clarity has not yet materialised.

The unwanted five, crucial to free up funds for incoming transfers, are still at the club, though Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrrell Malacia are training separately from the rest of the squad.

Just one major addition has been made - Matheus Cunha, a £62.5m arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

So, what is going on behind the scenes, and what is the prospect of Amorim re-shaping the squad to his desires? Might United have to consider selling some of their other players to raise funds?

On 4 July, United made it known that the five unwanted players had asked to leave and would not train with the remainder of Amorim's squad. Rashford's number 10 shirt was given to Cunha.

Since their exile, the only significant development involving the quintet was news that they cannot access United's Carrington training ground - which they can enter for rehabilitation and medical purposes - until Amorim and his squad have left for the day.

The members of the so-called 'bomb squad', a reference to their being bombed out, can train together at Carrington if they wish and combine that with work away from the complex, which is the final stages of a multi-million pound upgrade. But, as far as Amorim is concerned, they are done.

This move makes it impossible to think there can be any repeat of the 'peace deal' brokered between Sancho and former boss Erik ten Hag last summer. That agreement led to the England man joining United on their tour of the United States before he left for Chelsea on loan.

More pertinently, it lets interested clubs know those players are not wanted, meaning United are negotiating from a position of weakness.

And this is a big problem.

Between them, Antony, Sancho and Malacia cost the club more than £167m.

Rashford and Garnacho - both 'home grown' for the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rule purposes - are worth a combined 95m euros (£82.34m), according to the transfermarkt.co.uk website.

Clearly, Amorim could find good use for that money if they were sold.

But, so far, there is no sign of that happening.

And this aspect is critical.

Those at Old Trafford hope Bryan Mbeumo's protracted move from Brentford for more than £60m is completed before Amorim and his squad set off on their pre-season travels. But after that, United will be relying largely on sales to fund more deals.

There have been rumours.

Rashford has been linked with Barcelona, which would be his preference.

Sancho with Juventus, although coach Igor Tudor's first choice is to complete the permanent signing of Portugal international Francisco Conceicao, who spent last year on loan from FC Porto.

Real Betis are still hopeful of getting Antony back after his successful stint there over the second half of last season.

Garnacho's name continues to be mentioned at Chelsea, Napoli and his former club Atletico Madrid.

Malacia has been suggested as a potential target for Celtic.

But none of this has turned into anything concrete.

Rashford and Sancho are among the Premier League's highest earners. Unless either accepts a pay cut - and there have been no suggestions either is willing to do that - United will almost certainly have to offer some kind of financial incentive to allow a permanent transfer or loan to be concluded.

Neither Antony nor Malacia are in the same pay bracket. But neither are the clubs in the market to sign them, suggesting United are going to be in the same situation with that pair, just on a lesser scale.

As for Garnacho, it is tough to imagine anyone being willing to pay the £60m fee United started the summer believing they could get for him.

As the possibility grows that deals to offload the 'bomb squad' will not be done until much nearer the transfer deadline on 1 September, the question arises as to whether United would look to sell anyone else.

It is notable that United have generated more from sell-ons in this window than they have through player sales.

Anthony Elanga's £55m move from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle earned the club £6m.

And the sell-on figure is expected to grow very quickly this week.

Defender Alvaro Carreras has now completed his move to Real Madrid from Benfica. United get 20% of any sale price over £5m. As a fee of 50m euros (£43.33m) is reported to have been agreed, United stand to receive around £7.6m.

In addition, Maxi Oyedele's pending 6m euro (£5.2m) move from Legia Warsaw to Strasbourg could earn United £2m, as they have a 40% sell-on clause on the 20-year-old midfielder from Salford.

Whether that is enough to release funds to make more signings remains to be seen.

So who else it leaves the question of who else they might have to consider selling.

Kobbie Mainoo is yet to agree a long-term extension to his contract, which expires in 2027, and Toby Collyer also has two years left on the deal he signed in June last year.

Both contracts have one-year options, so in that sense, United are covered.

But the arrivals of Matheus Cunha and - eventually - Mbeumo, coupled with captain Bruno Fernandes' decision to reject summer overtures from the Saudi Pro-League, suggests places in either central midfield, or the narrow number 10 roles Amorim likes, will be at a premium. And United already have Casemiro, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte.

Amorim previously said he would be able to operate with a smaller squad this season without the added complication of European football.

And so there will be players beyond the 'bomb squad' with a question over their Old Trafford future.

Injuries have dented the confidence of Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez, who must compete for a place in a defence containing promising youngsters Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.

Andre Onana's pre-season hamstring issue gives Amorim an opportunity to assess his goalkeeping options but, in truth, unless 21-year-old Radek Vitek steps up, the choice will be to stick or twist with the Cameroon international given Altay Bayindir was given his chance at the end of last season and failed to impress.

It is a similar story in attack.

The pursuit of Liam Delap, who instead chose Chelsea, emphasises Amorim feels he can improve on Rasmus Hojlund.

Viktor Gyokeres, who played for Amorim at Sporting, has also decided against a move to United.

Ollie Watkins, who lost his place at Aston Villa when Rashford arrived from United on loan, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford. So too have out-of-contract pair Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy. They are all names to suggest United might be better off giving Hojlund one more chance.

But can Amorim trust that he is ready to fulfil the promise that prompted United to pay Atalanta £72m for him two years ago?

Hojlund himself has been linked with his old boss Gian Piero Gasperini at Roma.

But, as with so many players, turning vague interest into reality is not easy.

When he spoke to fanzine United We Stand last month, chief executive Omar Berrada said the pain of last season's 15th-placed finish, the worst since the 1973-74 relegation campaign, was self-inflicted in the belief reward would follow.

"He's suffered in the Premier League, and the team has suffered," he said.

"But we saw it as an investment for the following seasons, because we were going to give time to Ruben to get to know the squad, the club, the Premier League, so by the time that we got to now, we'll have had all the discussions about what the squad needs and the two-to-three-year plan to get to a squad that's capable of winning the Premier League."

There is still time before the opening Premier League game against Arsenal on 17 August for the clarity Amorim seemed so sure of when he spoke in Hong Kong to emerge.

But as of now, the picture is too cloudy for any United fan to feel confident about what lies ahead.