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Whilst their dignity has been salvaged by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United are still a wounded side. They currently sit fourth in the league, having leapt up several places thanks to their string of victories under Solskjaer's new tactics, but for a club the size of United, they should be aiming higher.
For years now, many fans and critics alike have been stunned by the calibre of some of the players in the United squad. Some of these would struggle to get game time at a mid-table side in the Premier League, so why are they favoured at United? Some of them don't even put in a good shift, they're just there because there's an appalling lack of squad depth.
United will undoubtedly be in for a busy summer transfer window, bringing in world class players from around the world to ensure that they don't slip behind the competition any longer. But before they do that, they need to offload the deadwood that have taken up space in their side for far too long.
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Here are five of the players the club should get sold this summer.
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#5 Phil Jones
When Phil Jones first arrived at Old Trafford from Blackburn in the summer of 2011, he was put on a pedestal and deemed to be the next best defender in the league. However, he never quite reached that expectation and even when he did realise his potential, the bar he set for himself was surpassed by a plethora of other players in the league.
He is an England international, though, which does help out his cause somewhat. But for a club like United in the Premier League, Jones simply does not fit the team.
Jones plays less and less for United with each passing season and has only featured in 13 matches this season, starting just 4 of those games. It's become quite clear now that he's surplus to requirements at United -- so fans were shocked to hear that he recently signed a new five-year deal with the club!
Having said that, many people have speculated that this contract deal has been done to hike up his market value, given the number of clubs who have shown interest in the 27-year-old recently. If this is true, it's an ingenious move by United, meaning that they could get double what he's really worth if a club comes in for him.
#4 Marcos Rojo
Marcos Rojo joined Manchester United in 2014 for around £18m. At the time, he was highly anticipated as a result of his top-notch performances for Sporting Lisbon in LIGA Nos; but despite a fairly strong start to life at Old Trafford, he has moved further and further down the list as the seasons have passed.
Injuries have hampered much of his time with United, but so has his form. When he's played, he's often unreliable and too easily beaten by oncoming attackers. This has meant that he's been replaced by the likes of Ashley Young and Luke Shaw, rendering him a third-choice option at best.
In the summer, United need to really try and ship him out, because to have him at the club for another season is simply a waste of time. He doesn't offer anything to the squad and is frankly below par now. His time is up.
#3 Matteo Darmian
Simply put, Matteo Darmian never amounted to anything at Old Trafford, despite various predictions that he'll become one of the best right-backs in the league. He arrived at Manchester United from Torino in 2015 for £16m and was one of Louis van Gaal's many questionable signings at the time.
Darmian featured in 28 games for Van Gaal's side in the 2015/16 season, but once Mourinho joined for the following season, his total appearances dropped to 18, cut by ten. For the 2017/18 campaign, it was cut by another ten, leaving him with only 8 appearances to his name. And lastly, this season, it's the lowest it's ever been at 5 appearances. It's clear he's no longer needed.
That's not to say that Matteo Darmian isn't a good player, because he is; he just doesn't fit the Premier League style. He's outmuscled far too often and the sheer speed of the league is too much for him to handle. He's likely to head back to Serie A and do well there, as the style of play is more relaxed and generally a lot easier.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
When Manchester United managed to sign Alexis Sanchez for just £30m in January 2018, nobody could quite believe that they'd managed to pull it off. His contract was due to expire in the summer at Arsenal and with United's bid in January, the Gunners could either take it and make some money off of Sanchez's inevitable departure or hold onto him before he left for free.
It was a genius move by United that effectively landed Arsenal in checkmate. But now United are in a difficult position themselves; Sanchez isn't playing well for them at all. In 17 appearances, which is low in itself, Sanchez has scored just three goals and registered one assist. This is a far cry from the sort of stats he was notching up for Arsenal.
Moreover, Sanchez is now 30 years old. From here on out, he's set for a gradual decline in ability until he's worth nothing. It will take guts from United, but many fans have unanimously agreed that it's better to sell him now and receive £40m for him -- his market value -- than keep him on the books any longer, where he robs £500,000-per-week.
#1 Juan Mata
Another player whose age is starting to show is Juan Mata. He's set to turn 31 years old in April, which is around the time when managers need to question whether the player has it in them anymore.
Still, Mata has featured in 19 games for the Red Devils this season, scoring two goals and assisting three, but it's certainly nowhere near the level he was at a couple of seasons ago. His decline is obvious and it's not fair to expect him to be as good as he once was.
With interest shown by the likes of Juventus and AC Milan, Juan Mata could be set for the Serie A in the summer, which would be better for his style of play now. The division is relaxed and not as tough as the Premier League, so whilst any form of a challenge might be eradicated over there, it would still serve as a reasonably high standard of football for him to play at, without being made to look a fool.
Mata has a market value of around £20m, so if Manchester United can sell him this summer, they'll make a decent amount -- far more than they will if they let him stick around for any longer.
