Manchester United could be set for a busy summer transfer window.
Despite heavy investment over the past two years, Jose Mourinho’s team haven’t hit the heights expected of them this season. They are 16 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City, they were knocked out of the Champions League by Sevilla in the last-16 and the FA Cup is the only trophy they can still win, with a semi-final against Tottenham to come on Saturday.
United’s 1-0 defeat to West Brom on Sunday, the Baggies second league victory since August, confirmed what we already knew for months – City would win the league and United would have to settle for a distant second place.
Mourinho and United won’t accept another season like this, and a busy transfer window seems inevitable.
According to Miguel Delaney, writing in The Independent, Mourinho is preparing to swing the axe in the summer and oversee a clear-out of the United squad. The report claims that “very few” players are safe from the chop.
“Mourinho would be willing to consider the sale of pretty much any players bar David De Gea, Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Ashley Young and Juan Mata. They are currently the only ones who have his full trust.”
If the report is accurate, then Paul Pogba is among those Mourinho will consider selling. The relationship between the French midfielder and his manager has reportedly been tense over the last few months. The pair clashed on the sidelines during United’s defeat to Spurs at Wembley in February and Pogba was substituted soon after. He was taken-off again a week later against Newcastle United.
The 25-year-old has also been dropped for key games – including the Champions League second-leg defeat to Sevilla.
Yet, Pogba is United’s most marketable player and the club are unlikely to want to let him leave again after breaking the world transfer record to sign him in 2016.
The report’s claim that Mata is now one of Mourinho’s most trusted players also shows that is possible for a player can regain the support of the former Chelsea manager. Mourinho allowed Mata to join United from Chelsea in 2014, after rarely playing him during their time together at Stamford Bridge.
It should be an interesting transfer window at Old Trafford. Mourinho reportedly wants two central midfielders and another forward, and it sounds as though he’ll happily get rid of many of his current players.
