Fabrizio Romano: Man United confirm duo to leave ahead of major rebuild | OneFootball

Man United Prepare to Part Ways With Two Veterans as Summer Overhaul Looms

The winds of change are sweeping through Old Trafford. As Manchester United brace for a transformative summer, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that veteran duo Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of the season.

Taking to X, Romano revealed:“Tom Heaton and Jonny Evans are both set to leave Manchester United at the end of the season, plan confirmed.”

Evans, 37, returned to the club in a surprise move and went on to make 42 appearances across two seasons, offering depth and experience at the back. But that chapter is coming to a close. Heaton, meanwhile, has been a steady dressing-room presence since 2021, though he’s featured just three times. At 39, his departure will mark the end of his second spell at United.

Clearing the Decks for Amorim

Incoming manager Ruben Amorim will inherit a bloated, ageing squad that has long needed modernising. Restricted in January—with Patrick Dorgu the only arrival—Amorim will finally have a clean slate to impose his identity this summer.

To that end, a long list of contracts and squad decisions is being addressed early. The exits of Heaton and Evans are just the beginning. The expectation is that Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen could follow, with both out of contract and increasingly peripheral under recent regimes.

Cutting loose these senior figures is not simply about footballing value. It’s about freeing up wages, creating space, and building a structure around players capable of executing Amorim’s high-intensity style.

Wage Bill Under Review

Financially, United are acutely aware that shifting high earners is essential. While offloading free agents like Evans and Heaton may not bring in transfer fees, it lightens the wage load significantly. That’s especially key if United are to meet financial fair play thresholds and still invest meaningfully in the market.

More importantly, clearing squad space opens the door for strategic reinforcements. There’s a realisation at United that the squad—constructed with patchwork intent over several years—needs not just refreshment, but realignment.

Summer Signals Intent at Old Trafford

What’s emerging is a club ready to back a vision. Amorim’s arrival heralds not just a stylistic shift, but a structural one. Youth, energy, and clarity of purpose are expected to underpin the recruitment strategy.

The early confirmation of departures, shared by a source as reputable as Romano, signals that United’s decision-makers are no longer content with waiting until July to sort things out. This is proactive planning—a phrase rarely associated with recent Man United transfer windows.

With more exits anticipated and new faces on the way, this summer feels different. There is, finally, a sense of deliberate movement at Manchester United.