Ranking Manchester United Players Most Likely to Be Sold or Loaned out in August
Manchester United's first-team squad looks pretty settled. The summer has seen fewer outgoings than would have perhaps been expected beforehand, with only Wayne Rooney, Adnan Januzaj, Guillermo Varela and Josh Harrop leaving permanently. Of those, only Rooney was even close to being a first-team regular last season.
Dean Henderson, Sam Johnstone, Regan Poole, Devonte Redmond, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have left on loan; again, no regulars there.
Of course, Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic have arrived, with room for one more, apparently.
Addressing the subject of that one more at his press conference on August 11, Jose Mourinho said 75 per cent of the business he wanted had been done and added, "Obviously the 25 per cent would be a player for another position playing from the sides [flanks], but we have players and if we cannot strengthen the team in these areas. We have people we can trust and go for it."
But who else will leave? Will any first-teamers depart, to be replaced by that shiny new 25 per cent? Or will it be all academy graduates either moving on permanently or taking loan roles to give them crucial experience?
Let's take a look at the list of potential candidates.
Dishonourable Mention: Anthony Martial
1 of 6
We cannot call this honourable, but intellectual integrity requires us to mention the awful prospect of Anthony Martial leaving United—permanently or on loan—during this window.
It does not make the top five for likelihood because it would be arguably the worst transfer decision in the club's modern history. Given how unsuccessful some of their purchases have been, that really is saying something.
On August 3, Mourinho was asked about the possibility of Martial leaving, something which had been mooted over the summer, particularly in relation to United's pursuit of Ivan Perisic, per the Daily Star.
His reply was hardly a ringing endorsement of the player, it has to be said, but it at least quietened the speculation:
"Everybody is in the plan. The plan is to have a good squad, not just a good team, [We need] options because we have important players injured for a long time.
They will be back by the end of the year so our squad is not so big and we need options. We need different players.
"
In Sunday's 4-0 win over West Ham United, Martial showed why he should not just be considered a squad option, but rather one of the squad's crown jewels. In a 10-minute cameo he scored and assisted a goal.
He is mentioned here because the rumours have never quite gone away this summer, but surely Mourinho, or the club's hierarchy, will see what an asset they have on their hands and hold on to the young Frenchman at all costs.
5. Chris Smalling
2 of 6
Back in June, Matt Law of the Telegraph reported that, "Chris Smalling will be sold by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho this summer, with West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Everton already interested."
Then, in July, Chris Wheeler of MailOnline reported that Smalling was set to "hold talks with Manchester United to clarify his future at Old Trafford." Wheeler wrote that, "The 27-year-old England defender has no plans to leave but wants to be sure that he will be given enough first-team football ahead of the World Cup next summer."
Smalling started in the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid, but Phil Jones and Eric Bailly were both suspended for that one. When the Premier League campaign kicked off, Smalling was on the bench. With Lindelof arriving in the summer, Axel Tuanzebe continuing his development and Marcos Rojo to come back from injury later in the season, if Smalling is adamant that he needs first-team football ahead of the World Cup in 2018 he may opt for pastures new.
He is down at No. 5 on this list because the chatter has died down of late, which could well mean he is planning to try his luck at Old Trafford, at least until January, but Smalling is on the list because it would not come as a great shock if he were to depart before September.
4: Matteo Darmian
3 of 6
This one is very incoming-dependant. United have been linked to full-backs of late. There were connections with Serge Aurier, though on August 15 L'Equipe (h/t The Sun) reported he had agreed deals with Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus and Inter Milan.
Back in June, Kaveh Solhekol of Sky tweeted that Inter Milan and Juventus were both interested in Darmian's services.
In truth, though, as with Smalling, it does not seem likely that Darmian will leave, unless the player wants a move to guarantee first-team football in a pre-World Cup season. Mourinho has used Darmian at left-back when he wants to focus on defending from that spot rather than an attacking contribution, and he also used him on the left of a back three, something we may well see in bigger games this season.
Nonetheless, a Darmian departure would not shock the United faithful, particularly if another full-back comes in.
3: James Wilson
4 of 6
James Wilson made his first-team debut for Manchester United when Ryan Giggs was in temporary charge at the end of the 2013/14 season. There was a brief period under Louis van Gaal where he looked set to make a more permanent breakthrough but injury—so often a painful problem during his young career—derailed that, allowing for Marcus Rashford's emergence.
With Lukaku, Rashford and Martial a long way ahead of him in the pecking order, the time has surely come for Wilson to find a new permanent home. A popular figure around Old Trafford, he will be missed, and if and when he leaves, the whole United community will wish him well in his future endeavours, and wonder about what might have been.
2: Joe Riley
5 of 6
Joe Riley struggled with injuries during his loan spell at Sheffield United last season, denying him the chance to get the first-team experience he needs. Another loan would seem an excellent move for a prospect who back in October 2016 was described as "turning heads at Carrington," by Robert Cottingham of Manchester Evening News.
In June, Alan Nixon of The Sun described Riley as "taking some persuading to move to Bradford," given his dreams of making it at United.
A loan move would seem the most sensible option for the 20-year old, but a permanent deal with an affordable buyback clause would also be a decent choice for a prospect of Riley's talent. Either way, another season in the reserves will probably not do much for the youngster, who needs competitive game time.
1: Matty Willock
6 of 6
Matty Willock was close to making his first-team debut for United last year. He was, in fact, warming up on the touchline against Crystal Palace during the final league game of the 2016/17 season, but when the board went up for the final substitution it showed that Angel Gomes would be replacing Rooney, not Willock.
It may now come to pass that Willock never gets to play for the first team, but, at 20, he remains a promising youngster with a great deal of talent. Like Riley, another season in the reserves will not provide him with the level of test he needs now. Also like Riley, a loan or a move with the opportunity to re-buy would be United's best option.
The top three here are essentially all equal in the No. 1 spot, needing first-team football for the sake of their development, and it would seem likely they will all move in the weeks ahead.
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
