The winds of change are set to blow at Manchester United in the summer transfer window and an unexpected clarity is arriving over the futures of two players.
It is an open secret that Man Utd await a blockbuster window and due to their financial situation, it will be possible only if they sell well.
It almost feels like everyone bar a few players will be on the chopping block, as evidenced by rumours of a sale of Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
While those are the true high-profile names, a certain Man Utd duo is set to leave the club but still stay at Old Trafford in an unexpected turn of events.
Man Utd duo set to stay at Old Trafford
The Ineos axe will fall on many players and some will be spared, while some won’t need to be axed as their contracts expire in the summer.
United can save £21 million/year without doing anything in the summer via that avenue alone, something they look determined to do.
Two casualties of that £21m/year saving, however, are set to remain at the club in a non-playing role, as per reports from The Daily Mail.
The report states that Tom Heaton and Jonny Evans, both of whose contract expires in the summer, are exploring a potential coaching role with the club.
Heaton and Evans are 38 and 37 respectively, so it was always likely that their stop at Man Utd would be the last one on their footballing journey.
Evans had earned transfer interest recently but he’s always maintained that United would be his last club, even saying he would’ve retired last summer if United hadn’t extended his contract.
Tom Heaton and Jonny Evans’ move is a no-brainer
Both Heaton and Evans are model professionals who provide a valuable presence around the dressing room which is what made them stalwarts at the club despite not playing much.
Evans even became unexpectedly important to Erik ten Hag last season and performed admirably, way beyond anyone’s expectations when he signed as an emergency backup.
Heaton, on the other hand, has played even less than Evans but his influence in the dressing room and his relationships with the players have regularly been talked about.
United have always been a club that takes care of their own, something which was starting to get stripped off a little under Ineos.
Keeping the duo at the club in a coaching capacity as they begin the next stage of their careers will be no-brainer move for everyone involved.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
