Jose Mourinho, over his managerial journey, has established a reputation for being a hard task master. Be it at Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan or even his latest club Manchester United, the Portuguese is not afraid to leave out established players from his plans. The likes of Iker Casillas, Mario Balotelli, and John Terry have experienced being isolated from their respective squads in the past.
Despite having been at the helm of Manchester United for just over 4 months now, the manager is already coming under immense scrutiny and he is already beginning to ring the changes at the club to ensure that the club progresses in the right direction. In this segment, we bring to you 5 Manchester United players who, we believe do not have a future at the club.
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#1 Phil Jones
Jose Mourinho is a manager, who loves to set up his teams with defensive muscle to build their play upon. While Phil Jones has done the job since arriving at Old Trafford from Blackburn Rovers 5 years ago, his development as a defender has been stunted due to numerous injury setbacks as well as being used as a utility player, rather than a specialist. He has been caught out of position time and again in the past and also has a tendency to switch off defensively, traits that might not please his manager.
To make matters worse for the 24-year-old, he has been plagued by a long-term injury since January and is set to miss another month of football owing to a knee injury suffered in training recently. Given his injury record, which could prove to be a disruptive force, Jose Mourinho might be forced to ship him off come the winter transfer window.
The Portuguese manager has preferred to start Eric Bailly and Daley Blind as the preferred centre-back pairing and with Chris Smalling back in action, there is little room for Jones, unless a number of injuries hamper the side.
The utility player was believed to be in line for a move to either Stoke City or Hull City in the recently concluded transfer window, only for the mentioned clubs to pull out of the race. Given his age and his abilities, we believe a move away from Old Trafford, especially for a smaller club could help him get his career back on track.
#2 Marcos Rojo
The Argentine international has failed to establish himself since moving to the Premier League from Sporting CP. The ball-playing defender, who can play as a left-back as well as a left-sided centre-back has looked nervous in possession, makes way too many mistakes at the defensive end of the pitch and has found it tough to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
Additionally, he has a tendency to go missing in critical situations, which often leaves his side in a precarious situation and United would be best served to encash on him while he remains a high-profile name.
His inability to establish himself under Louis Van Gaal resulted in him being offered to AS Monaco in exchange for Anthony Martial in the summer transfer window of 2015 and was also believed to be on the move to Chinese club Shangai SIPG, who were ready to pay over the odds for the defender in the recent transfer window. However, Jorge Mendes, his agent, stepped up and ensured that neither of the deals went through to ensure his client remains at Old Trafford.
He has featured sporadically under Mourinho so far and is expected to make a move in the upcoming transfer window to ensure more playing time to ensure that he has a future with the Argentine national team.
#3 Memphis Depay
How soon can the tables turn on a player? The Dutch international has gone under the radar since making the move to England, just a season after being touted to be one of the best young players on the planet. While he featured many times during the start of his career in Manchester, he has started just 5 of the last 20 league games Manchester United have played, which is an indication of what is to come for the Dutch international.
Unless he can pull a bunny out of the rabbit and reverse the disappointment that has accompanied his performances in recent times.
While his qualities as an attacker come to forefront time and again, he has failed to make the required impact in the games he has featured in. The biggest concern with regards to the player is his habit of going missing in games. On many occasions, many fans even failed to identify that Depay had a role to play in the game. To add insult to the wounds, he has looked disinterested and distracted in games, making life tough for not only himself, but also his teammates as they have had to virtually play with 9 outfield players.
Recent reports suggest that he could be on the move in the upcoming transfer window, with AC Milan willing to offer him a route out of England. While it might prove to be a tough decision, we believe a move away from the spotlight could help him resurrect his flailing career.
#4 Adnan Januzaj
The 21-year-old Belgian was touted to be the next big thing out of the Manchester United academy. However, the fact that he is currently on a loan to Sunderland, currently managed by his former manager David Moyes in a bid to find playing time and help his falling stock speaks for itself.
While there is no denying the talent he possesses, it might be beneficial for the player and the club to part ways. Way too much time has already been spent on him becoming the creative mainstay of his side and Jose Mourinho would be keen to make some money out of the sale of the young player in order to fund the move for an established name who can influence the game in a larger way than the Belgian playmaker.
He is untidy in possession, makes very little defensive contribution (a trait that does not go well with Mourinho) and lacks the concentration levels required for a top flight footballer at the moment and this might result in him being shipped away from Old Trafford soon.
The loan move to the Stadium of Light that seemed to be working fine until now seems to have suffered a setback as the youngster is expected to be out of action for at least 6 weeks owing to an ankle injury, in the process derailing his resurgence.
#5 Bastian Schweinsteiger
The most obvious name on this list is the former Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger. While the German has not been shy about expressing his love for his club on social media, it might not prove enough to find a place in the plans of Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager has minced no words whenever a question with regards to the future of the 32 year old has been asked in the past, confirming on numerous occasions that he does not see Schweinsteiger as a part of his plans, even going on to say that while it might not be impossible, it is very difficult that the German will feature again in a Manchester United jersey.
While the real reason for him being left out of plans has not come to the light yet, it is believed that Mourinho is not ready to risk the stability of his side’s midfield to accommodate an ageing midfielder, who might not have the legs to remain competitive in a league as fast and physical as the Premier League.
The situation does not seem to be improving, despite the outcry that has accompanied his isolation from the squad as the former world beater now has to train with the Under-23 squad to remain fit and we see no way back for the legendary midfielder into Jose Mourinho’s plans.
