Manchester United are now said to have the most sustainable squad in Europe’s top five leagues, MySportDab reports.
According to a new study by CIES Football Observatory, Manchester United have the best sustainable squad among clubs in all European Leagues.
The latest study findings is based on sustainable squad management, ranking based on three main areas, age structure, stability and contractual policy.
And Manchester United have now finished top in all categories, well ahead of their rivals.
According to the CIES, the new study result show that Manchester United are well placed to qualify for the Champions League over the next few seasons.
The Red Devils are also expected to eventually lift the Premier League trophy again.
The CIES report shows the importance of each category in the study.
The first main category is based on age structure, and measures how many minutes are given to players past their prime.
They look at the cut-off age for each position, 33 years old for a goalkeeper, 32 years old for a defender, 31 for a midfielder and 30 years old for a striker.
CIES now measured the percentage of minutes players above those ages have played for clubs across Europe’s top five leagues this season.
Spanish club Huesca top the list here, and Champions League winners Bayern Munich sit in second position.
The second category is focused on group stability, the reliance on new signings, and how many minutes new signings have played since June 2020.
Fulham are top of this list across Europe, while Manchester United are bottom in 10th place, rarely using new signings so far this season.
In the last category, CIES studied the minutes given to players on loan, or whose contracts are set to expire.
This is another category where Manchester United rank high, with only Manchester City and Aston Villa giving less playing time to players with contracts due to expire.
United’s current form is now back up on the CIES findings, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team currently second in the Premier League table.
The Red Devils are also on course for Champions League qualification for next season.
