Man Utd can make £13m saving if three unhappy stars still leave | Football | Sport

Manchester United could reportedly save around £13m in wages if three players, who were unhappy under Ruben Amorim, depart the club. The Daily Mail claims that Kobbie Mainoo, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte were all considering leaving Old Trafford in January if the Portuguese manager had stayed on.

All three have found regular playing time hard to come by this season, but they might be given a lifeline at Old Trafford by an interim head coach and their eventual successor. It’s uncertain whether any of the trio will seek a move away from the club, but United may still aim to offload their salaries.

The combined wages of the three players are estimated to be around £13m, with academy product Mainoo earning the least at approximately £1m per year, while Ugarte is believed to earn about £6.24m and Zirkzee around £5.2m. Mainoo has gone from being an indispensable asset and a starter for England in the European Championship Final, to warming the bench and failing to agree on a contract extension.

Chelsea and Napoli are among the clubs reportedly interested in him, although United supporters will be hoping he stays put. Ugarte is another player hoping to reclaim his place in the team, with a change in formation potentially offering both midfielders a route back into the starting eleven.

The same could be said for Joshua Zirkzee, although there has been strong speculation throughout the season about a return to Italy, and an AS Roma transfer chief has recently addressed these rumours. AS Roma club director Ricky Massara told Sky Sports in Italy: “He is a Manchester United centre-forward liked by many clubs, not just us.

“Naturally, the situation is different after this change of management, there are no contacts in progress, but I wouldn’t focus on individual names. We know this window is an opportunity to reinforce the squad in an area where we have struggled to convert chances into goals, so we will try to use it.

“We started over the summer with a process of renewal. We knew it would take a while and several different transfer sessions.

“There are things we need to do that are not considered an emergency, but rather an opportunity to take. Don’t forget this team had a very strong 2025 of a high level and we’d like to keep that going.

“With so many games close together and players out through injury, international duty, even flu, it might seem to be a weaker squad than usual. However, the team is ready and will step up.”

Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in talks to return to Old Trafford on an interim basis until the end of the season, along with fellow former Red Devil, Michael Carrick.