5 Players Manchester United Should Clear out in 2016 Summer Transfer Window

With the impending arrival of Jose Mourinho, per BBC Sport, Manchester United will doubtless spend the summer being linked with shiny new players with whom the manager can work his magic. 

But what of the current squad? There are metaphorical question marks hanging over many of them. From Memphis Depay's deeply unimpressive first season to Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick entering the latter stages of their careers, there are plenty of big stars at United about whom there are some doubts.

Then there are the players who may not be a match for a Mourinho side—will he appreciate Daley Blind for his footballing intelligence and quality on the ball in spite of his physical limitations? Will he sell Juan Mata again?

Those are unknowns, of course. What is pretty clear is in spite of a significant number of outgoings over the past couple of seasons, there are players the squad could stand to lose.

Let's take a look at the five players Mourinho should consider moving on.

Paddy McNair

Not too controversial, this one. Paddy McNair was a surprise call-up from the academy system to the first team last season. In his first campaign he showed some fine qualities, making a dramatic headed-clearance on his debut against West Ham United at Old Trafford in September 2014.

This season, things faltered. He was denied an obvious route to the first XI because first-choice center-backs Chris Smalling and Daley Blind stayed fit for most of the campaign.

Louis van Gaal said of him in February 2015, per the club's website, "Maybe he shall be the right full-back of Manchester United for the next 10 years, you never know. He has the chance." 

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However, while injuries meant a lot of changes at full-back as the season rolled along, Van Gaal had clearly changed his mind about this. McNair hardly got a look in.

On national-team duty for Northern Ireland, he has been playing in defensive midfield. Manager Michael O'Neill clearly thinks that is where his future lies, saying, per Metro:

"

I think that’s his best position, where we played him [in midfield]. I was really pleased with him. He was a physical presence but he showed his quality on the ball.

He just needs to get used to playing at this level. I enjoyed him in there in that midfield with [Steven] Davis and [Oliver] Norwood. It was encouraging to see him play as well as he did for as long as he did. 

"

It seems unlikely Mourinho will choose to gamble on McNair in United's midfield, so for his own sake, the 21-year-old should move on. He has a lot to offer at a slightly lower level.

Phil Jones

At his best, the 24-year-old Phil Jones looked like he had the potential to become a superb centre-back. Fearless in a challenge and good with the ball at his feet, Jones was clearly multifaceted given Sir Alex Ferguson used him at full-back, defensive midfield and centre-half.

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However, his development has been badly affected by injuries. Last season, he played under 2,000 minutes of league football in what felt like another injury-hampered season. He needed a 2015/16 campaign wherein he could prove his fitness and anchor his place in the side.

Instead, he endured his most injury-hit season yet and managed just 529 minutes of league football, per WhoScored.com. Unless Mourinho is utterly convinced of Jones' quality, it is time to accept he will not grow into the player we all hoped and allow him to leave.

Marouane Fellaini

Assessing Marouane Fellaini is a complex business. On the face of it, his obvious technical limitations made him an odd choice to be a Van Gaal favourite.

However, according to Daniel Taylor of the Guardian: "Fellaini was often the player the Old Trafford crowd distrusted the most but Van Gaal appreciated the way he listened to orders when it was obvious other players wanted to use their own initiative."

The Belgium international clearly can make a positive impact on games. He scored four times in all competitions this season, including crucial goals in the FA Cup quarter-final replay and semi-final.

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His presence in a starting XI undoubtedly causes opposition defenders some issues. Having him there probably allowed Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial more space in which to operate in the FA Cup final, and, of course, his chest was the target for Rooney's cross that led to Mata's goal.

Yet unless he is played as an attacking battering ram, having him in the side also causes problems. He so often slowed play down for United—the semi-final was a perfect example of this, when he received the ball on the edge of the area and checked back in spite of having positive options ahead of him.

His fouls are as likely to disrupt United's rhythm as an opponent's. It is hard to imagine a place for him at any team with real pretensions of being among European football's elite. He does not deserve all the scorn he has received, but on balance, even considering his best qualities, the Red Devils should not hold onto him for another season.

Marcos Rojo

Marcos Rojo's United career is two seasons long. In the first season, he looked a decent, if injury-prone, centre-half. In the second, he looked a not-fit-for-purpose and injury-prone left-back.

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Perhaps Mourinho could keep him for central-defensive cover, especially if both Jones and McNair are moved on, but between his injuries and the vagaries of his form, United would be better off looking to their own youth ranks for cover or bringing in a number of options in that position. So far, it does not look as though Rojo fits the bill.

Ashley Young

Ashley Young has been as maligned as Fellaini for much of his United career, though he appears to have won some affection from supporters over the past couple of years. He clearly has a lot of regard for the club—he has watched games away from Old Trafford with fans and never looked like he was giving anything other than his best.

He even allowed Van Gaal to attempt to convert him into a full-back.

The problem is his output. It has simply never been of the required level for a United attacking player. He has only once scored more than two goals in a league season for the Red Devils and only twice managed five or more assists.

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He could be considered a useful member of the squad, especially given his new-found positional flexibility, but in truth, even as a squad player, it would be possible to find an upgrade. Young has been great to have around as a likable character, but his on-pitch contributions have never quite matched that.

There are some big decisions ahead of Mourinho. He inherits a squad where the blend between the best talent and useful squad players is not quite right; he inherits a squad where the blend of young players coming through and established players at their peak is not quite right.

He inherits a squad that needs some additions and could certainly stand to lose a couple of its members. The above list would be a good place to start.