With the season coming to an end, United is still struggling to get the Champions League spot despite having a world class team. The way season started with a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick against Leeds along with the homecoming of Cristiano Ronaldo in September, United fans and the board felt that this would finally be the season that can put an end to this trophy draught that has been going since 2017. As we come towards the end of this season, the situation seems to be the same.
United got in Jadon Sancho from Dortmund for a fee of around €80m along with a very reliable defender, Raphael Varane from Real Madrid. A month later, Ronaldo joined the Reds army to strengthen the team to compete for the title yet again.
Let’s take a look at the market value of some players whose value has declined substantially-
Jadon Sancho(€80m)
Sancho ever since he joined the United army has lacked the flair that we have seen him in the Dortmund jersey. Of course, Premier League is a different atmosphere altogether but there are certain areas that seems completely missing from this young man. However, his debut goal for United against Villarreal boosted his morale to a great extend followed by his PL debut goal against Chelsea the following match as well. In 24 appearances he just has 3 goals and 3 assists to his name. Due to his declining form, the market value has fallen to €80m with a prominent €5m downfall. However, Sancho seems to be now more accustomed to this Premier League environment and looks as if he’s going to redeem himself the very next season under a new manager.
Marcus Rashford(€70m)
A boy born to wear that Red jersey, is going through a rough patch of time. Even though he’s surrounded by a group of talented players, Rashford’s performance is declining day by day. Rashford has failed to capitalize on some easy chances this season and hardly managed to score goals and assist. There are several instances in this season when Ragnick played Sancho in his wing and Elanga on the other side leaving Rashford on the bench. Last season, Rashford bagged a total of 11 goals and 9 assists. On the contrary, this season he has only been able to score 4 goals and have 2 assists to his name. The market value of this prolific goal scorer has depreciated by a €15m mark, making his value €70m in the transfer market.
Raphael Varane(€60m)
A consistent performer for the club. A very important stat for the club is that whenever this French man has played in the United defence, United haven’t conceded more than one goal in the same match. However, due to United’s tendency to end the game on a draw on most occasions, the value of such players has also fallen. For this very reason, Varane’s market value has fallen from €65m to €60m with a season. In 17 appearances for the club, he has only managed to keep 4 clean sheets and have 1 assist to his name. However, Varane has fallen to a prey to the hands of injuries and covid-19 this season ruling him out of most of the crucial matches.
David De Gea(€15m)
The Spaniard is on a scintillating form since the start of this season. In fact, becoming the goalkeeper with the highest number of saves in the PL so far. David De Gea has upgraded his form, made some unthinkable saves and often saved United from embarrassment this season. The major issue of not getting hold of the three points lies in the heart of the United defence. It’s because of the upsurgence of the mistakes being made in the defensive areas that makes De Gea the culprit almost every time United concedes a goal. His market value has fallen from €18m to €15m this season.
Aaron Wan Bissaka(€30m)
One of the major downfalls of a player in the United jersey. Last season, under Ole’s reign, Wan Bissaka was one of the most important players for the team. A player who was responsible for keeping 13 clean sheets last season, scoring 4 goals and having 2 assists to his name. On the contrary, this season under Ragnick he’s been pathetic, managing to keep only 3 clean sheets in 18 appearances for the reds. Dalot is preferred over Wan Bissaka in the RB position. Due to the less game-time and the errors made at the back, the market value has dropped substantially to €30m from €38m.
Harry Maguire(€40m)
The Manchester United captain seems to be completely off this season. Making mistakes in almost every game he plays and also the player responsible for conceding against Atletico Madrid in the UCL Knockout stage in the 2nd In 24 appearances this season he’s only been able to manage 6 clean sheets and have 1 goal to his name. Apart from this, he has also scored an own goal. In the PL itself, Maguire has conceded a total of 32 goals. Its very obvious at this point that the market value is bound to decline. The new market value for the United captain is €40m. (Old MV €48m)
With the board considering to bring in a new manager next season, it seems that new players are expected to join and some are also leaving next season like Jesse Lingard, Edison Cavani and Juan Mata. The most important thing that the new manager needs to do is to change the back four. Defence has been a major issue for the men in red. United has been excellent in their midfield and attacking areas. A decisive defence is the key to win titles at the end of the season.
