Manchester United have informed Toby Collyer, the only player signed by Ralf Rangnick during his interim spell, that he is free to leave the club permanently. The midfielder, who arrived from Brighton and Hove Albion as an 18-year-old, has been told he can depart this summer.
Collyer's United career
Collyer joined United in the 2021-22 season when Rangnick took over after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. Despite links to many players recommended by the Austrian, only Collyer was brought in. Four-and-a-half years later, he has been left out of Michael Carrick's squad for the recent friendly against Atletico Madrid, with the bench filled with academy youngsters.
Instead, Collyer played for the U21s in a 1-0 defeat to Altrincham Town on Friday. Last season, he was loaned to West Bromwich Albion, then to Hull City, but both spells were disrupted by injuries. He has made only 13 senior appearances for United, ten of which came under Ruben Amorim.
Departure and legacy
According to The Sun, the club have said he can leave. Despite United being short in central midfield, Collyer has been behind Tyler Fletcher in the pecking order, and the club have since signed Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. A third midfielder is expected this summer.
Collyer's loan at West Brom ended after an injury in a clash against Birmingham City in late November. He returned to United for recovery, then went to Hull, where he missed the play-off final against Middlesbrough due to injury. He made 12 appearances for West Brom and five for Hull.
His departure would erase the last trace of Rangnick's legacy at Old Trafford. Rangnick took charge of 29 matches, winning 11, drawing nine, and losing nine. He was expected to take a consultancy role but left the club completely at the end of his caretaker deal.
