Manchester United: The Next 5 Players to Leave

By (Featured Columnist) on July 8, 2011

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 27:  Sir Alex Ferguson manager of Manchester United (R) talks with Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United during a Manchester United training session prior to the UEFA Champions League final versus Barcelona at Wembley Stadium on May
Michael Regan/Getty Images

With the exit of Wes Brown and John O'Shea to Sunderland earlier today and the retirement of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Edwin van der Sar, the roster for Manchester United is definitely going through some time of overhaul.

With the older players on the roster now leaving all at once, it seems that a new youth movement .that includes new signings David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, could be starting at Old Trafford.

Before the summer is over, Sir Alex Ferguson may bring in a couple new faces and he could also see some old faces leave just like Brown and O'Shea.

Dimitar Berbatov

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 22:  Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Blackpool at Old Trafford on May 22, 2011 in Manchester, England.  (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

It was made clear towards the end of last season that the Bulgarian forward was beginning to fall out of favor in the first team lineup due to the emergence of Javier Hernandez.

Now, with Danny Welbeck and Mame Biram Diouf back from loan spells at Sunderland and Blackburn respectively, Sir Alex has two young players with Premier League experience at the forward position.

There does seem to be a market for Berbatov, who has been rumored with returning to Tottenham at the beginning of the summer and more recently rumored with PSG and Juventus as both clubs look for a world class forward.

Ji-Sung Park

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 01:  Ji-Sung Park of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on May 1, 2011 in London, England.  (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The South Korean winger was signed in 2005 from PSV and just retired from international football to make way for younger players in the South Korea side.

The exact same situation could happen at Old Trafford with the arrival of Ashley Young from Aston Villa and with Nani and Antonio Valencia expected to be fully fit for the beginning of the season, Park could see his playing time diminish.

The good news for Park is that Sir Alex still puts the winger in lineups for the big games in Europe and he could be kept around for that purpose.

Darron Gibson

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 02: Darron Gibson of Manchester United in action during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground on April 2, 2011 in London, England.  (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Gibson is only 23 years of age but he has already been at Old Trafford since 2005.

Unlike some of the other young players in the squad, Gibson has not been out on loan continuously, he last loan spell was at Wolves in the 2007-08 season.

Since returning from Wolverhampton, Gibson has only made 30 league appearances in three years and with United being rumored to be searching for the signature of young midfielder like Jack Rodwell or Samir Nasri, Gibson could be pushed back in the pecking order and may not see a chance to star in Premier League while at Old Trafford.

Tomasz Kuszczak

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 19:  Tomasz Kuszczak of Manchester United directs his defence during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United at Craven Cottage on December 19, 2009 in London, England.  (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Im
Phil Cole/Getty Images

Kuszczak is almost certain to be gone from the club when the new Premier League season comes around.

With the signing of two young keepers, David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard, Kuszczak is not even guaranteed a spot as the backup next season.

The perfect situation has risen for the Polish netminder as his former club, West Brom, are currently without a number one keeper as Scott Carson took off for Bursaspor in Turkey last month.

Rio Ferdinand

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 28:  Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United celebrates as teammate Wayne Rooney (not pictured) scores the equalising goal during the UEFA Champions League final between FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC at Wembley Stadium on May 28,
Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

It may not happen this season, but possibly in the next year or two that the stalwart on the back line of Manchester United since 2002 could leave the club.

With the emergence of Chris Smalling last season and the signing of Phil Jones at the center back position, United have already gotten rid of Wes Brown and if Ferdinand's injury problems continue, he could be replaced.

Again, this is not likely to happen at least for another year but Ferdinand's age may catch up to him and with the very talented youngsters behind him on the depth chart, it may be tough for the England international to stay in the first team lineup at Old Trafford.

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