Manchester United have formally announced seven players will be released when their contracts expire on June 30.
These include three already announced, Ethan Galbraith, Phil Jones and Di’Shon Bernard.
Now added to the released list are Axel Tuanzebe, Eric Hanbury, Charlie Wellens, and Manni Norkett.
United also confirmed that talks are ongoing with goalkeeper David de Gea, whose current deal expires at the end of the month.
READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loans, releases, youth for 2023/24
Axel Tuanzebe release was coming
Axel Tuanzebe’s release does not come as surprise. The defender has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and has not played for Manchester United since 2021.
He spent the second half of this season at Stoke City on loan, where he made five appearances.
Now 25, he needs to move on to play regularly, and there was no case to keep him around at Old Trafford.
Manni Norkett leads three academy releases
The release of full-back Charlie Wellens does not come as a surprise. The 20-year-old had not featured for the first team and it was time to move on. He had a loan spell at Oldham earlier in the season.
Eric Hanbury was an academy goalkeeper, who had been overtaken by the arrival and impressive form of Elyh Harrison last summer.
Manni Norkett’s release is a little bit more surprising, although it had been coming after he went on trial at Leicester City at the end of the season.
Norkett had scored 19 goals in 40 under-18s games in the past two seasons, and finished the campaign as the leading scorer at 18s level in 2022/23.
Four get one-year extensions
United confirmed that one-year extensions have been handed to Nathan Bishop, Tom Heaton, Rhys Bennett, and Ethan Laird.
An offer has also gone out to young forward Mateo Mejia, although the Colombia under-20 international has not yet signed.
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