Manchester United are £66m short of the sales windfall they hoped to raise from planned departures. They expected around £104m from possible exits involving Rasmus Højlund, Marcus Rashford, André Onana and Manuel Ugarte, but only Højlund has been sold, for £38m. That leaves a tighter market for a club already trying to do business under pressure.

The sales that never came

The clearest miss is Marcus Rashford. Barcelona had an option to sign him for £26m, but declined it in favour of signing Anthony Gordon. United had hoped that move would help bring cash in quickly. It did not.

André Onana created a different problem. United wanted him sold for around £20m to avoid a PSR loss, but he instead returned to Trabzonspor on loan for a £1.3m fee. That is a long way from the sort of fee United needed.

Manuel Ugarte is the other name in the pile. United had hoped to sell him for around £20m, but he was carried off on a stretcher during Uruguay's clash with Spain and later had surgery. Ugarte described the injury as "the most serious injury a footballer can face". United did not confirm whether it was an anterior cruciate or medial collateral ligament injury.

What the gap means for recruitment

The sales shortfall lands badly because United are 16th in the 2026 Premier League table, after finishing 3rd last season. That is a huge drop in room for error. Recruitment plans are always easier when there is money coming back the other way, and United simply have not got that money.

The club's selling record over the last 10 years has rarely been profitable, which is part of why this feels familiar. What is different now is the size of the gap and the timing. United wanted to cash in on players who were supposed to move the wage bill and create room in the market. Instead, they have only banked £38m, and the window looks more expensive by the day.

The pressure is now on the next move, not a theoretical plan. United still need to strengthen, but the £66m hole means they have less flexibility to do it.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →