Manchester United has been quiet in terms of incomings in the January window, with the club's business mainly focusing on arranging loans for players who were unhappy about their playing time, including Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek.
The MEN Sport understands that the club are focusing on the summer window to do their business, with four signings targeted, and this will be necessary as the squad will likely need a significant rebuild.
Most fans are under the impression that Martial has played his last game in a United shirt, but he could still return. However, the club will likely lose the wages off their books as Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard contracts expire, with Eric Bailly also reportedly wanting to leave.
Fans also expect Phil Jones to be sold alongside Eric Bailly, who has expressed a desire to leave due to playtime. There are also rumours circling about Cristiano Ronaldo's future if United fails to qualify for the Champions League.
But a player that often gets forgotten in these discussions is Juan Mata, whose contract also expires in the summer. He doesn't get much game-time anymore and is usually reduced to a name on the teamsheet to make up the numbers on the bench.
He is reportedly earning £150k a week to do this, which is quite a lot of money and is a remnant of the extension given to him under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The MEN understands he was willing to make a move before his contract ended, but Mata's influence in the dressing room can't be understated, and the squad well respects him as a whole.
But at the end of the season, it will be time for the player to move on. Like the wages made available by the players mentioned previously, these will be at United's disposal to improve their situation on the pitch.
One way they could use it is to extend the contract of Bruno Fernandes, who wanted a significant increase to his wage packet to bring him in line with some of United's top earners, as he should expect given the impact he has on the squad.
But where the wages will best be used as part of the rebuild, several high-quality free signings are available in the summer, such as Noussair Mazraoui and Boubacar Kamara. This will allow United to improve their squad while not paying a transfer fee significantly.
United will also be able to put together more attractive packages for other potential targets, and freeing up Mata's wages is vital to this.
United needs to be more efficient with distributing their wages in the squad in the future. Hopefully, they will not get into a situation again where a player who hardly appears earns more than a large amount of the team.
Who do you think ManchesterUnited should sign in the summer? Follow our United On My Mind writer Casey Evans on Twitter and get involved in the discussion in the comment section below.
.png?w=600)
