Nine players leave Man Utd as summer exodus begins under Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Nine players including French duo Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial have officially become free agents after their contracts at Manchester United expired overnight.
And they are joined at the Old Trafford exit by Jonny Evans, Brandon Williams and Tom Heaton in addition to a quartet of academy graduates. All departures have been long signposted but became official at midnight. Standard contracts reach their conclusion on the final day of June.
Varane, 31, has interest from a number of clubs - including Serie A new boys Como - but he is expected to turn down offers from Major League Soccer.
“I don't know [where I will go]," the centre half said last month. "I'll take time to think. A return to France? Everything is possible. I'm at the end of my contract. It's the first time that has happened in my career so I'll take the time to really think."
Martial spent nine years at United, arriving as one of the sport’s most hyped young players, only to perform inconsistently while scoring 90 times across 317 appearances.
In a social media address to United fans, he wrote: “Since I arrived in 2015, I have had the immense honour of wearing this shirt and playing in front of you, the best supporters in the world! You have been an unwavering support, through the good times and the difficult. Your passion and loyalty have been a constant source of motivation for me.”
Evans, meanwhile, could still return on a short-term deal having proved more than dependable back up at centre half in his second spell, while a new contract for reserve goalkeeper Tom Heaton has not been ruled out.
Anthony Martial spent nine years at Manchester United.
“I'm pretty relaxed about it," Evans said recently. "I'll see what the club say over the next couple of weeks but nothing at the moment in terms of discussions over a new contract, so we'll see how it goes."
Williams spent last season on loan at Ipswich Town and could end up at a Championship club. Academy players Shola Shoretire, Charlie McNeill, Kie Plumley and Marcus Lawrence have all left at the end of their deals.
Their departure comes on the day it was announced that United have finally agreed a deal with Newcastle to bring in recruitment chief Dan Ashworth after several months of difficult negotiations.
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