Manchester United News: 5 high-paid stars who should be sold in the summer

Manchester United are now one of the most ineffective teams when it comes to the transfer market. The Reds Devils have splashed hundreds of millions of cash for players' transfer fee alone while their weekly expense for the players' wage is also the highest in the Premier League.

However, they are yet to achieve something considerable such as the Premier League or Champions League titles since coach Sir Alex Ferguson retired after the 2012-13 season. The club have also changed quite a few managers, roping in David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and finally Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but none of them found much success.

However, all the fans pin the blame on United's stars, saying the players have not lived up to their colossal wages. United surely cannot tolerate these overpaid players for long despite being one of the world's richest clubs.

Ashley Young

The Englishman has been pretty much United's most hated scapegoat recently. Young's failure to showcase acceptable defending has cost United a lot while the fullback is also now incapable of making considerable contributions to the attack. He also failed to provide some motivation to his team to turn around the horrible situation despite being the club's captain.

Solskjaer sent Young a warning by benching him for the Everton game and Young responded with a decent showing against Manchester City. However, his excellent play against Pep Guardiola's squad was not enough for United to take even a single point from their bitter rivals.

He still needs to prove more than that to justify his massive wage. Young has been guilty of committing mistakes that have cost United the entire game. The former Aston Villa player has already hit 30 and is currently one of United's highest paid defenders. For now, he is surely not worth the captain armband and the £110,000-a-week wage.

Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian striker has endured a horrid time almost the entire season. There should be a strong reason for Manchester United to pay such a huge fee for the striker in 2017. His £200,000 weekly packet is among the highest at the club and reflects of how much the Red Devils value him.

It's laughable that United are paying that much to Lukaku as the Belgian has not even scored 15 goals this season. The Belgian's productivity has dipped significantly compared to his last season at Everton, while he has paid much better at United.

He has become anonymous again in recent times after scoring in successive games against Crystal Palace, Southampton, and PSG. Both Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer have given him more than enough time to prove himself. Hence, it is time for him to depart from Old Trafford.

David De Gea

United have struggled this entire season while their Spanish goalie reportedly wants to have a significant pay rise. De Gea might be United's best and most highly-rated player but he has been nowhere near his best since his nightmarish World Cup display. His opponents have bullied him on several occasions and United have conceded 50 goals in the Premier League.

United's defence is currently the weakest among the top 6 and midtable clubs like Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have a better defensive record than them. The United faithful have put much of the blame on players like Young and Phil Jones but De Gea's woeful goalkeeping has also contributed to United's downfall.

He recently committed a costly error against Manchester City to put another defeat on the Red Devils's cause. He should be considered overpaid even with his current £200,000-a-week salary. His contract has still stalled so far and United could get a better goalkeeper with such a high pay packet.

Paul Pogba

Pogba's career at Manchester United has been like a rollercoaster ride. Jose Mourinho might be right after all, criticized the Frenchman for his obvious inconsistencies. The 26-year-old briefly showed his potential shortly after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as the interim manager.

However, his form has plummeted again as he has managed to find the back of the net just twice and provided just one assist since late February. His head seems to have turned to Real Madrid and, he is now just a burden for United because of his massive £290,000-a-week wage.

United need to look for a committed player who can deliver a stable performance if they are hoping to clinch silverware next season. No need for United to make Pogba one of their best-paid players if his mind is not at the club anymore.

Alexis Sanchez

The Chilean is undeniably the biggest regret for Manchester United this season. The Red Devils seemed to have pulled off a great trade when they swapped underperforming Henrikh Mkhitaryan with Sanchez, who was an Arsenal hero at that time.

The Manchester outfit have given the Chilean their famous number 7 shirt and made him the highest paid player at the club. Unfortunately, his £400,000-a-week payroll has backfired on United as he has now become an outcast at the club.

Jose Mourinho had given him enough time to regain his form but he has failed to show any sort of improvement even after United made Solskjaer their new manager. His fate is now beyond saving and he might just waiting to be kicked out from the club.

Edited by Aravind Suchindran