**It has understandably been the pursuit of new signings which has dominated the thoughts of Manchester United fans so far this summer. First came the early signing of Eric Bailly, then the prolonged saga which brought Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford with Henrikh Mkhitaryan not far behind.
But while the attempt to snap up Paul Pogba for a world-record fee nears its conclusion, now appears to be the time for Jose Mourinho to turn his focus to the sales which might be every bit as key to United’s success as the purchases.
The curtailed trip to China this week has backed the Portuguese into a corner somewhat in that he has had one game less than planned in which to assess which players may have run their course as United first-team members. That said, Mourinho is not new to English football and having spent much of last season preparing to take the United job he probably walked into Carrington already having a fair idea who he did and didn’t want to keep.
There are a number of Louis van Gaal’s former charges who have been linked with potential moves over the last few days, with a whole host possibly up for grabs in the transfer market. Guillermo Varela was sent on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt last week but more are set to follow him through the door in the coming weeks.
For a start there are those who struggled to find a place under the Dutchman and have only drifted further from first-team reckoning due to this summer’s transfer activity. That group includes Adnan Januzaj, who failed to figure on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season, was recalled in January and then played just 17 minutes of senior football for the final five months of the campaign.
The Belgio-Kosovan was given high praise by Mourinho when coming up against Chelsea during his breakout season of 2013-14, but having lost Ryan Giggs’ old No.11 shirt this month in the reshuffle which followed Ibrahimovic’s arrival his place in the club now appears to be under serious threat. David Moyes, under whom he made his name three years ago, could well take Januzaj up to Sunderland after succeeding new England boss Sam Allardyce.
The Black Cats have also been linked with moves for Will Keane and Marouane Fellaini. At 23, Keane has failed to establish himself at Old Trafford and now finds a long queue of international stars blocking his path to a starting berth. Fellaini, though, could yet prove himself of some use to Mourinho as the Portuguese is not averse to durable players with an edge to their game.
Just one year on from his headline-grabbing move from Bayern Munich, Bastian Schweinsteiger could be the biggest name to leave United. Following injury issues at the tail-end of his spell at the Allianz Arena, the Germany captain also struggled to reach his form of old last term before seeing his season curtailed by knee trouble. With Besiktas and Paris Saint-Germain both said to carry an interest, Schweinsteiger could look for another fresh start elsewhere.
United’s midfield appears to be a more congested place at the moment, and neither Ander Herrera nor Daley Blind made themselves indispensable in a disappointing showing against Borussia Dortmund in Shanghai. The Spaniard has a raft of skills but doesn’t immediately jump out as a Mourinho type of player, while Blind falls more under the ‘multifunctional’ banner that his new boss spoke of not needing at his opening press conference.
Phil Jones is another to come under the same category, having played as a midfielder, a centre-back and also a right-back during his time at Old Trafford without ever nailing down a consistent spot in any one position. Matteo Darmian is another defensive option which may be overlooked, and Napoli have shown significant interest after coming into money following Gonzalo Higuain’s move to Juventus.
Elsewhere, Marcos Rojo is likely to leave having failed to convince in his two years as a United player, while Memphis Depay could be moved aside due to his underwhelming first term in the Premier League.
So there could potentially be quite an exodus and that is not even to mention Juan Mata, whose exit from Chelsea after losing his place under Mourinho has led to an assumption that the Spaniard is also a likely departure this summer. While both have made nice when pushed on the subject of Mata’s future, the battle for spots in the attacking midfield line will include Wayne Rooney, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. That could well leave Mata resigned to another move away from the Portuguese.
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- Goal**