Man Utd players denied Chelsea exit route as Jim Ratcliffe hints at squad clear out

icon Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink insists the Blues would not take any of Manchester United's struggling squad. The west Londoners have enjoyed a much more positive start to the season than the Red Devils, with both teams meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea are sixth but could climb as high as third in the Premier League if they beat United. Meanwhile, Sunday's hosts have endured a torrid start to the campaign and have already axed head coach Erik ten Hag.

United's players have struggled for form. Even more concerning is that some of their summer signings have so far suffered a tough start to life at the club.

Hasselbaink believes Maresca would not take a single player from United - although the Blues do have Jadon Sancho on loan from their Premier League rivals.

"One United player? At the moment, I wouldn't take a single one," the former striker told Lucky Block.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has hinted at a clear-out of the club's squad after set to be inherited by Ruben Amorim. Some players may therefore be looking for a move and could be eyeing a switch to a top Premier League rival.

Kai Havertz and Jorginho are two recent examples of players who have moved from one Big Six team to another, having realised that they could be surplus to requirements at Chelsea.

Speaking at the Americas Cup, Ratcliffe said that United cannot win trophies if their squad is not capable of doing so. The INEOS chief said: "I think there's one little crossover, which is that you cannot win the Americas Cup if you arrive at the Americas Cup with a boat that 'could' win the Americas Cup.

"Same in Formula One. Max Verstappen in a Williams, he's not going to win the Formula One [World Drivers'] Championship. With football it's the same with the squad in a way. That's the parallel for me - you can't win anything in football if your squad isn't good enough to win something.

"The quality of the squad is a bit like the speed of the boat. That's the only parallel [between football and sailing]."

Those words may be a warning to some United players that their futures do not lie at Old Trafford. It remains to be seen if Chelsea will take advantage of that situation.