Why Manchester United have changed their approach to squad building

You could say Erik ten Hag is arriving at Manchester United at an opportune moment, given that the departure of at least six senior players this summer is offering him something of a clean slate.

The 52-year-old will seek to put his own stamp on this squad and that task is made easier by the wave of departures at Old Trafford, with Lee Grant, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani all leaving on free transfers. They could be followed by the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Anthony Martial, offering Ten Hag plenty of room to manoeuvre when it comes to summer signings.

But United have no plans to make like-for-like signings when it comes to replacing those players, especially the sextet that are out of contract and will officially leave the club at the end of this month.

READ MORE: Six academy youngsters can change Ten Hag's plans this summer

Those departures will free up some room in the squad and — perhaps more crucially — more than £1million a week in wages. But the opportunity that presents United is to slim down a bloated squad rather than making a raft of new signings.

There is an acceptance within Old Trafford that they've been carrying too big a squad in recent seasons, which is why those departures aren't causing much concern when it comes to replacements. The loss of Matic and Pogba will require a replacement (or two) in midfield and United have a forward on their radar as well, with Cavani leaving and Cristiano Ronaldo turning 38 this season. It is signings in those two areas that are being prioritised at the start of the transfer window.

Mata and Lingard played just 602 minutes of Premier League football between them and the fact they