5 players who could leave Manchester United in the summer

Manchester United are having a massively improved season under Jose Mourinho. The Red Devils sit at the second spot in the Premier League table only behind local rivals, Manchester City.

At the beginning of the season, United was tipped to be the favourites to lift the title, a major reason for this optimism was the squad depth with players Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Phil Jones not expected to start games despite their qu

However, the squad players have brought much disappointment to Mourinho. Things haven't gone as planned for Jose when he has decided to rest his key players. United faced defeats against Basel and Bristol City when they rotated the squad substantially.

Mourinho would be looking to offload his surplus players and bolster the squad with some new arrivals to maintain the team's balance. On that note, we take a look at the possible departures from Old Trafford this summer.

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#1 Ander Herrera

Herrera's work rate could impress Valverde.

The Spaniard would be entering the last 12 months of his deal in the summer. His contract runs down in 2019. Ander is yet to agree on a new deal at the club, as United have triggered an extension of one year in his existing contract.

The midfielder was in sublime form in Jose's first season in charge at United. He was expected to feature regularly in a three-man midfield for United after Matic's arrival. However, the 28-year-old lost his place in the starting XI.

Herrera was a subject of interest from FC Barcelona in 2017 but the Spaniard decided to commit to his current club. Reports also stated that Barca could sign the United man in January.

Jose has already called for reinforcements in the engine-room for United. Herrera could see himself falling down in the pecking order in England. The Spanish midfielder could be looking forward to a move if any similar interest arises in the summer.

#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimovic is currently sidelined with an injury.

Jose in his first season brought Zlatan at Old Trafford who was a free agent at that moment. The Swedish striker proved his worth in England, bagging 28 goals till February. The 36-year-old proved that age is just a number and that he was every sense, "a lion".

Zlatan suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury which sidelined him for nine months. However, the striker was handed a new contract in the summer until the end of the season.

Zlatan recovered in December 2017 but could not sustain the pressure on the damaged ligament.

As a result, he has been sidelined for a couple of months again. Reports in January claimed that MLS is planning a move for the star striker and would be keen to sway him to America.

Jose has publicly said that he won't be standing in the Swede's way. He seems unlikely to hand an extension to the striker.

#3 Matteo Darmian

Darmian has barely been used by Mourinho this season.

Darmian was one of the signings of Van Gaal era and has failed to impress the United gaffer so far. The Italian full-back is capable of playing on both the flanks. He initially proved to be a great squad player for Jose because of his versatility.

Jose had often used the player as a centre-back in a back-3 pairing. However, in recent months, Darmian has been struggling to make it even to the bench at United.

In-form players like Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw have made his situation much vulnerable. Despite his form, reports have constantly surfaced which link him with a move to Italy.

Darmian would be entering the last year of his contract, with an option of a year's extension. United look highly unlikely to hand him an extension and they could be looking to offload the defender.

#4 Marouane Fellaini

Fellaini is sidelined with an injury he picked up against Spurs.

The Belgian midfielder was one of David Moyes's favorite players. Fellaini has never been well received by the Old Trafford faithful and was seen as being responsible for costing the team points.

Fellaini is a short-tempered player and he easily gets into a feud with opponents. However, the player found the form of his life under the Portuguese boss, Jose Mourinho.

He was transformed from a "useless tree" to Paul Pogba's replacement ahead of Ander Herrera.

The Belgian came off the bench to net some crucial goals for Manchester United in 2017. With the World Cup upcoming, the midfielder wanted to move away from England in search of regular first-team action. Reports had linked him with a January move to Turkey.

However, Jose was reluctant to sell the player given the injury crisis in his squad. The player does not have any automatic extension left on his contract and is yet to sign a deal with United. His fate would be decided in the upcoming summer.

#5 Daley Blind

The Dutchman is currently sidelined with an injury.

Daley Blind was Jose's first choice left-back for the opening league matches of the season.

However, he lost his place to Ashley Young, who is currently enjoying the form of his life. Manchester United have triggered the option of an additional year in his contract, which would keep him at the club till 2019.

Blind had been poor both offensively and defensively when given starts but Jose wasn't ready to offload the player. His versatility to play as a left-back, centre-back and defensive midfielder appealed Jose and added value to his squad.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah would be back from his season-long loan at Crystal Palace and his versatility could be more effective than Blind's. As a result, United could sell the player who would be surplus to the requirements at the club.