5 players who should follow Jose Mourinho out of Manchester United

After two and a half years in charge at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United is over. It was announced this morning that his time in charge was up, following a 3-1 defeat to current Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.

Mourinho took charge of United in the summer of 2016, replacing Louis van Gaal. His first season in charge was a success, winning both the League Cup and Europa League. They did finish sixth in the Premier League but qualified for the Champions League thanks to victory in the Europa League.

His second season was slightly more successful as far as the league was concerned, finishing second, but still a massive 19 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City. Mourinho also saw his side knocked out of the League Cup by Championship side Bristol City, and lose to his former club Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.

In the Champions League, United fell at the first knockout round, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Sevilla after a pair of rather average performances.

Things have got a lot worse this season, with United sixth in the league, 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool, and 11 points behind Chelsea in fourth. They are already out of the League Cup, having been beaten on penalties by Frank Lampard’s Derby County. They progressed through their Champions League group, but only in second place, meaning they will face PSG in the first knockout round.

But Mourinho might not be the only one leaving Old Trafford over the next few weeks. Some players have been far below their best, and may follow their former manager out the door. Here are five men who could leave the club in January.

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#1 Matteo Darmian

Darmian has been a fringe player for United of late

It is almost baffling that Darmian is still at Old Trafford. He was one of Louis van Gaal’s signings in his second year at Manchester United in 2015, making a £12 million move from Torino. He made a decent start to his career, appearing in 28 Premier League games in his first season, consistently putting in some strong performances at right back.

Things have gone downhill since Mourinho took over at United. Darmian has appeared in just 30 Premier League matches under the Portuguese manager, and he has often found himself behind Ashley Young, a natural winger, in the pecking order. It may be in the interest of both parties that Darmian leaves United in January, because he looks like he needs a new start.

#2 Eric Bailly

Bailly has made a terrible start to the season

It may be a bit of a surprise to see Bailly on this list, given that when he first made the move to United in 2016, he looked like a very good defender. He was Mourinho’s first signing after taking over at Old Trafford, and he made a £30 million move from Villarreal. For the most part of his first season, Bailly was one of United’s best players, and was a key man at the heart of their defence.

However, injury meant that he didn’t play as much in his second campaign with United, and he appeared just 13 times in the Premier League. It looked like he was back in favour at the start of this season, but a series of poor displays have seen him left out of the side. He had a dreadful game away at Brighton, and then was taken off within half an hour against Newcastle United. He looks a million miles from the player he was when he joined United, and it may be time for him to move on.

#3 Phil Jones

Jones has looked out of place in a United shirt

When he first joined Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson said that Jones had the potential to be one of the club’s greatest ever players. It isn’t often that Ferguson got things wrong, but on this occasion, he certainly did. Jones joined United from Blackburn Rovers in a deal worth £20 million in 2011, and at the time, it did look like he had the potential to be a fine player.

Things haven’t exactly gone to plan though. Jones has been a bit of a disaster in his time at centre back, and he constantly looks like he could make a mistake. Given that United want to return to the top of the Premier League, and eventually European football, Jones isn’t the man they need at centre back.

#4 Paul Pogba

Pogba is yet to prove himself at Manchester United

The struggles of Pogba at United may always be a mystery. He became the most expensive player in history when the Old Trafford club paid £93 million to bring him back to the club from Juventus in 2016. At the time, he was seen as the symbol of a new era under Mourinho, and the man to lead the club to success in the future. In fact, he has done anything but that.

The Frenchman has been a shadow of the player we saw in a Juventus shirt, and he has never really shown what he is capable of in the Premier League. There also have to be questions over whether United are happy to have a player at the club with the attitude of Pogba, especially given the tweet he sent, then soon deleted, just minutes after Mourinho was right. Perhaps in this case, the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ was right to sideline Pogba.

#5 Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez has been awful since his move to Old Trafford

When United beat Pep Guardiola and Manchester City to the signing of Sanchez in January, it was seen as a real coup. The Chilean had been one of the top players in the league during his time at the Emirates and was seen as a man who could add some genuine world-class talent to the United squad. However, at times in a United shirt, Sanchez has bordered on a joke.

He has looked like a different player in a United shirt. He has looked uninterested, lazy, and has been more of a hindrance to United. He no longer looks like a top player, and it may be best for United to cut their losses, and give more options to younger players such as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.