Manchester United Transfer News: Jose Mourinho Tells 9 Players to Leave Club

Bastian Schweinsteiger headlines a nine-man list of players manager Jose Mourinho has deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester United, per Joe Bernstein of MailOnline.

The German World Cup winner trained with the under-21 squad on Thursday, a further sign he's not part of the first-team picture. Others set for the axe include Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Andreas Pereira, James Wilson, Adnan Januzaj, Will Keane, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair.

Each member of the squad was told personally about Mourinho's decision, according to Bernstein, with the Portuguese coach eager to reduce his squad size to 24 players.

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Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst highlighted the players' absences on Twitter:

Per Bernstein, the long-term future of the younger players in that group remains to be seen. United's Young Player of the Year last term Borthwick-Jackson could yet depart Old Trafford, while Pereira and Wilson have been told to find first-team football out on loan.

There are a number of surprise inclusions on Mourinho's shortlist, with both Borthwick-Jackson and Fosu-Mensah enjoying breakthrough campaigns under former boss Louis van Gaal during the 2015-16 campaign. Likewise, Blackett and McNair had shown signs of promise despite a lack of consistent first-team action. 

Further up the field, 21-year-old attacker Januzaj has failed to deliver on the hype surrounding his talent and was sent out on loan to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund for a portion of last season. However, the Belgian again failed to leave his mark, as he made just seven substitute appearances in all competitions for Thomas Tuchel's side, per WhoScored.com.

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In order to fight for his place in future teams, Mourinho has demanded Brazil under-20 international Pereira seek playing time away from the Theatre of Dreams. Per Soccerway, the young creative talent has featured in just 93 minutes of Premier League football in the last two years, with Mourinho keen to do business with Championship side Fulham, according to Bernstein.

Similarly, Wilson—who netted twice on his home starting debut in May 2014 under caretaker boss Ryan Giggs, per Soccerway—has been advised he will also not be included in any further squads without match action under his belt.

However, the key news surrounds 31-year-old midfielder Schweinsteiger. A key cog in Van Gaal's monotone machine, the former Bayern Munich winger-turned-defensive-anchor personified the Dutchman's tenure at the club.

Sports journalist Liam Canning was unimpressed with the decision to allow the experienced playmaker to depart:

Slow in possession, the Germany international—who has been capped 120 times for his country—would frequently opt for the conservative sideways pass in favour of a more advanced option. After decades of watching Sir Alex Ferguson's marauding wingers, fast-paced moves and electrifying counters, this restrained behaviour was hard for United fans to accept wholeheartedly.

Following his £7 million signing last summer, Schweinsteiger has rued a lack of match fitness due to ongoing injury problems. Per Bernstein, he will continue to pick up his £160,000-per-week contract until 2018 unless another club opts to take a chance on his conditioning. 

Following the summer signings of Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a place in Mourinho's chosen 24 has slimmed further.

Equally, the rumoured interest in Juventus playmaker Paul Pogba, as reported by Sky Sports News HQ among others, could force the United manager's hand sooner rather than later.