CARLOS Tevez is set to open the Old Trafford exit door for Alan Smith.
The arrivals of Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson to United in the Reds midfield have already left it ajar for Kieran Richardson.
And a fully fit defensive unit to kick off United's bid to retain the title and their Champions League push has also potentially unlocked the way out gate for Wes Brown and Gabriel Heinze.
John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher might also be among those whom manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits could consider their match time tally will suffer as a result of the champions building work and seek a move.
United owners, the Glazer family, have stumped up £50m-plus to help Fergie realise his plans so far. If the red tape surrounding the Tevez deal can be unravelled then around another £20m at least will be needed to fund the arrival of the South American striker.
Departures would ease the strain on the Americans and the Tevez switch is likely to spark a rush for Smith.
Smith remains happy to fight for his United place again but the addition of Tevez would mean he would be unlikely to satisfy his own thirst for regular football.
A number of Premiership clubs have continued to monitor his Old Trafford position including Everton, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
Richardson might be the first to depart. He managed just 12 starts and 12 sub appearances for United last season despite the crippling injury list and Everton and West Ham are believed to be keen on giving him a better first team chance.
Brown, O'Shea and Fletcher made considerable contributions to United's 60-match programme in all competitions last term and ended with title medals.