Manchester United confirm seven exits as quartet enter new deal talks
Manchester United's retained list includes two high-profile departures
Manchester Unite’s retained list has been released as the club have confirmed the departures of seven players, while a further four are in talks over a new deal.
The list comes at the end of a season which saw the Red Devils slump to an eighth-placed Premier League finish, their worst since the top flight was rebranded in 1992.
Erik ten Hag’s men were able to end the season on a high however, with the club defeating rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley last month.
The team’s poor Premier League performance has led to speculation over the future of Ten Hag, but while fans wait for news on that front, the club have made their first decisions about the make-up of the playing squad this summer.
First-team players Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Brandon Williams will all leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the month, alongside academy prospects Charlie McNeil, Marcus Lawrence and Kie Plumley, while under-21s player/coach Tom Huddlestone will also leave his role.
The club have also confirmed that they are in talks with Jonny Evans, Tom Heaton and Shola Shoretire over new contracts, while Omari Forson has been formally offered a new deal.
Evans was signed on a free transfer from Leicester City last summer and the 36-year-old has provided defensive cover in a season when the Red Devils were beset by injuries.
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Former academy graduate Heaton has been the club’s third-choice stopper and is said to be open to staying on at the club if a new deal can include a role that takes him beyond his playing days.
Varane confirmed he would be leaving last month, ending a three-year stay at Old Trafford, while fellow Frenchman Martial leaves after nine years in Manchester during which time he made more than 300 appearances.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.