Manchester United Transfer News: Anderson Contract Reportedly to Be Cancelled

Manchester United will weigh up the possibility of cancelling Anderson's contract if he cannot be sold in January, according to reports.

Mark Ogden of The Telegraph believes "United are ready to explore the possibility of paying up the remainder of the player’s contract, which could cost up to £1.4 million, simply to remove him from the playing squad and enhance his prospects of finding a new club."

Football writer Samuel Luckhurst adds cringe-worthy numbers to the player's presence at Old Trafford:

To put this into perspective, this means Anderson will have received £2.3 million per Premier League start from the beginning of the 2012-13 season. Judging his total appearances since this moment—two starts and three substitute displays in the domestic division, per WhoScored.com—Anderson will have pocketed £920,000 each match if he doesn't step into another Premier League game.

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This kind of reckless spending cannot be maintained by United, particularly considering they are without the extra funding of Champions League football and subject to UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.

Fiorentina recently rejected the chance to sign him permanently after he racked up just 287 minutes of Serie A football during his six-month loan, recorded by WhoScored, while Ogden confirms United received "no offers" for the midfielder during the summer.

The player signed his latest contract extension with United in 2010 on the back of "outstanding recent form and undoubted potential," according to the club's official website. Anderson has failed to build on this description and has since struggled with injury, fitness issues and a general lack of quality.

He was a mobile, creative player at Porto and during the early stages of his United career, as highlighted in the video below:

Now, however, he has proven unable to shift extra weight gained during spells on the sidelines. This hampers the athleticism and speed of his play, despite considerable technical ability remaining at the 26-year-old's disposal.

Louis van Gaal has little room for deadwood in his squad—noted by the summer (loan) exodus of players including Nani and Tom Cleverley—and will strive to free up spaces to continue building his squad.

Anderson has found it extremely difficult to assert his quality under three United managers, and as the club aims to rekindle the successes of their past, there is no further time to waste on an individual who looks set to leave in disappointing circumstances.

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Every United player must contribute and continue to show improvements under the Van Gaal. Failure to do so will only end with a premature exit, perhaps sped up by the club's willingness to pay off mistakes in order to progress.