Four Manchester United players are out of contract at the end of the season, but veterans Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton could remain at the club as they embark on coaching careers
Manchester United are set to revamp their squad in the summer, with several players expected to depart when their contracts expire. Christian Eriksen has admitted he is likely to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, having not had any contact about an extension.
“I haven’t been told anything and since I haven’t, I assume the collaboration will end,” he told TV2 recently. “That’s how I interpret it. Everyone knows my contract is expiring, so I expect there’s only one way this will go.
“I haven’t thought much about it. In my mind, I’m prepared to find something new. What that will be, I haven’t decided yet. I don’t have anything specific that I really want to try, so I’ll see what comes along and what fits me and my family.”
Victor Lindelof has also said no talks have been head about his future and admitted he “doesn’t know what will happen”. Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton are also out of contract in the summer, but a report from the Daily Mail claims that the pair could remain at United as coaches.
It is claimed that both Evans and Heaton could follow in the footsteps of Phil Jones, who has been working with the academy players at Carrington since he retired from football in 2024.
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“It’s been great with Phil, he is with us weekly,” United’s Under-18s boss Adam Lawrence told the Manchester Evening News of Jones’ impact. “He spends time with the under-14s and under-18s as well so he gets to experience like the different age groups of the academy.
“But for us, he’s been great. He’s obviously from the club in terms of his background and what he’s done here and I think as well for the players, to not just learn from him in terms of the areas of his game and his knowledge, but also some of the off-the-field stuff and what they’re going through – whether it be team selection, how you prepare for games, diet, nutrition.
“Myself and Colin [Little] have really appreciated him being involved in the programme and he’s added some real value in a different way. Hopefully, we’ve given him the opportunity to start coaching on the field with players. I know he’s been of massive value and he’ll continue to do that as well.”
Jones is currently taking the UEFA Pro Licence coaching course and eventually hopes to become a manager. “I don’t think you can be just a head coach and I don’t think you can be just a manager,” he recently told ESPN.
“I’ve seen managers be tremendous managers, but not so much on the grass and they’ve fallen short. And I’ve seen it the other way where they’ve been terrific head coaches but not quite have the understanding of the players and the management.
“In this day and age, you have to be both and you have to have a good understanding of both. It’s about managing players and managing people and managing egos. I’m not naive enough to think that I’m going to become a head coach or a manager in the next two or three years.
“I understand that now I’m on the other side of the ladder where I’ve got to work myself up and build myself up. But I’m absolutely ready to do that. When I visualize and I try to manifest where I want to be in five years’ time, I want to be the guy taking the team.
“I want to be the guy making the decisions and having support and backing from the club and the owners and choosing that right moment to step in at that time. I’m a winner. I want to win games of football, and I win at all costs. Whether that means I have to change personnel or go down a different route to get results. It’s a results business game.”
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