Crisis at Man Utd Escalates as Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, & Other Stars Press for Old Trafford Exit

Even after the arrival of five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford in September, Manchester United have been grappling with an escalating crisis at the club after a string of poor results of late. A number of players are reportedly unhappy with their role in Ralf Rangnick's side.

Manchester United are facing an exodus of mammoth proportions with as many as 17 members of their current squad planning to leave the club before the start of the 2022-23 season, the British media has reported.

Reports of a rift within the Red Devils' camp have been making the rounds for a while and defender Luke Shaw confirmed that the team was a divided house after their shock loss to the Wolves over the weekend.

According to several British publications, the morale of United's footballers is at an all-time low at the moment and many, including Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, and Donny van de Beek, are looking to exit the 20-time Premier League champions.

French forward Anthony Martial is all set to move to Sevilla on loan this month. He's expected to make Spain his permanent base during the summer with talks between United and the La Liga side currently progressing well.

Martial's France teammate Paul Pogba and England international Jesse Lingard have rebuffed multiple offers of a contract extension from the Red Devils.

Both Pogba's and Lingard's contracts expire at the end of the 2021 season, allowing them to leave United as free agents. In case the duo departs without any transfer fee, it would almost certainly be a massive financial setback for United.

Edinson Cavani was on his way out to Barcelona, but Ralf Rangnick held back on him after a major COVID outbreak hit the side in December.

Though he isn't allowed to leave at present, just like Pogba and Lingard, the Uruguayan footballer could leave the club on a free transfer in June.

Spanish midfielder Juan Mata, whose contract also comes to an end during the summer, has multiple offers in hand and could switch to Spain on loan this month.

Eric Bailly, Donny van de Beek, and Dean Henderson haven't had enough opportunities in United's starting line up recently and are contemplating a move away from Old Trafford.

Though Diogo Dalot, Nemanja Matic, and Fred's contracts last until June 2023, all three are no longer preferred choices for Rangnick and his support staff. Hence, the trio is keen to end their association with the club sooner rather than later.

Last week, Phil Jones donned United's colours in a match for the first time in over two years but his chances of being a regular in the side are extremely low. This could be the main reason why the England defender is being linked with a switch to Benfica on loan.

Unlike the aforementioned names, Axel Tuanzebe has already left United as he has been loaned to Serie A side Napoli. However, this isn't the first time the 24-year-old has stayed away from Old Trafford as he plied his trade for Aston Villa in the latter half of 2021.

The simmering tensions within United's dressing room have resulted in their continuous slide in the Premier League charts as they are currently languishing in seventh place with 31 points.

Defending champions Man City are on top of the table with 53 points followed by Chelsea in second place on 43.