Manchester United prepared to sell two senior players this summer

Manchester United will face Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup quarter-finals following their controversial win against Fulham on Sunday. 

The Cottagers went ahead at Old Trafford courtesy of a goal from Alexander Mitrovic and Marco Silva’s side looked likely to progress going into the final 20 minutes of the match.

The game changed entirely in the 72nd minute, though, when Jadon Sancho had a shot blocked on the line by Brazilian winger Willian.

Referee Chris Kavanagh was instructed to review the incident, and sent manager Silva off for his protests before he had even looked at the monitor.

It was then decided that former Chelsea man Willian had used his hand to block the strike on the line, and the Brazilian followed his manager down the tunnel as Kavanagh dished out his second red card.

Goal scorer Mitrovic was incensed by the situation and appeared to push the referee, which then lead to Kavanagh also sending the Serbian striker off, leaving the visitors with just nine players and no manager.

A brace from Bruno Fernandes either side of Marcel Sabitzer’s strike ensured United progressed, and they will now face The Seagulls for a place in the final.

Maguire could be sold this summer

In the meantime, it has emerged that United are prepared to sell two of their most senior players.

As per Football Insider, The Red Devils are ready to allow both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof to leave the club this summer.

Maguire, 30, joined United back in 2019 and was a regular during his first three seasons at Old Trafford, but he has struggled for game time this term.

He has only started five league matches so far this season, making 24 appearances across all competitions.

The report claims that United are keen to add a central defender to their squad, but must first sell at least one of their current crop.

Once they have freed up space and raised funds, United will reportedly move for Napoli centre-back Kim Min-Jae, who has impressed for the Italian side this term.

Lindelof, 28, has also struggled for game time this season, having only started five Premier League matches so far.

The Sweden international’s contract is set to expire next summer, but it looks increasingly likely that he will instead leave at the end of the current campaign.

Frenchman Raphael Varane and Argentina international Lisandro Martinez have primarily been chosen by Ten Hag this term, although left-back Luke Shaw has also been used as a makeshift central defender at times.