Manchester United could have four players fighting for the same position next season

The prospect of Manchester United playing as few as 40 games next season means head coach Ruben Amorim will not have to rotate quite as frequently as he did last season.

United's failure to qualify for the Champions League via the Europa League means they will only have domestic matters to focus on in 2025/26 in the form of the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Not since 2014/15 have United had a season without European football. They successfully managed to get back into the Champions League for 2015/16 that season by securing a top four finish.

Once again, United's main objective next season has to be securing European football for 2026/27. European participation brings a whole host of benefits, not least financially.

However, one of the biggest advantages of United being out of Europe next season is that Amorim will not have as congested a fixture schedule to deal with, meaning there will be a lot of free midweeks to spend on the training ground.

As encouraging as that could be as a collective, some individuals may find game time much harder to come by. United need to reduce the size of their squad and a whole host of departures are expected.

However, the bulk of the exits United are planning for are in the attacking department, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony being identified as priority sales. Alejandro Garnacho has also been told he can leave for the right price.

The prospect of each member of that aforementioned quartet being sold will generate funds for United to reinvest elsewhere in the squad. They plan to sign Bryan Mbeumo, a striker, a midfielder and a goalkeeper.

One area which is not expected to be strengthened, though, is the centre-back department. After signing Matthijs de Ligt