4 stars who could leave if Manchester United fail to qualify for Champions League

Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa

Shinji Kagawa

One of the more obvious players who could be set to leave is the Japanese midfielder. He was stunning in Germany with Borussia Dortmund but just hasn’t hit it off at United.

He has constantly struggled to hold down a place in the first-team and his performances have dipped because of that. His confidence isn’t great, either, and there are sure to be plenty of teams around Europe interested in Kagawa in the summer. With the prospect of actually being able to play Champions League football next season somewhere else, Kagawa could be one of the first out of the door at Old Trafford.

Kagawa is likely to leave the club in the summer anyway but without football at the top level of the European game, it makes his decision even easier. Someone could get a talented player very cheap in Kagawa.

Juan Mata

Probably a long shot but Juan Mata’s chances of sticking around for Europa League football aren’t great. It is true that he won the Europa League with Chelsea but he had just won the Champions League the season before and only ended up in its sister competition due to the side’s elimination in the elite tournament.

Mata has made it quite clear that he will leave a club if he needs to. He did it with Valencia and then Chelsea, who made it clear he was not going to start under Jose Mourinho. It could be the same for United in the summer. Mata is one of the finest attacking players in the world and needs the Champions League.

If Paris Saint-Germain or any other major European side show an interest in the Spaniard, don’t be surprised to see him push for a move away.