Manchester United might already have their Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard replacements

Manchester United knew they needed plenty of change this summer, and whether they like it or not, they have had plenty of it in the last few days. A week of farewells confirmed that Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata will all leave the club at the end of the month when their contracts expire, adding to the challenge Erik ten Hag faces in his initial rebuilding job.

They join Lee Grant, Nemanja Matic and Edinson Cavani in exiting the club and take United's departure lounge to six players even before they factor in those still contracted to the club who will be allowed to leave.

Ten Hag's big challenge this summer will be to offset those departures with his own new arrivals, though it is highly unlikely he will be able to replace every single player with a new acquisition in the transfer market.

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United have never spent more than £150million on permanent deals across a single window, and although spending is typically higher in summers when they have failed to qualify for the Champions League, it would be fanciful to expect anywhere near the ten new players Ralf Rangnick advised before his departure.

Five or six new signings would be the pinnacle for United this summer, while three or four seems the most likely, given the manner in which they have operated in the past. Therefore, Ten Hag will need to find cost-effective ways to address some problem positions this summer, and he might already have a trio of teenagers at the club who could help offset the loss of Lingard and Mata as a start.

Lingard made 22 appearances all season, with a total of 548 minutes, meaning his average time on the pitch was just shy of 25 minutes