Manchester United transfer news: Jose Mourinho to sell four players in January as he aims to shrink squad
Special One used to working with smaller groups and will green-light the exits of four big names at his new club
JOSE MOURINHO is set to offload FOUR Manchester United stars in January, according to reports.
The Portuguese tactician has already lost three Premier League matches this season and is working with a registered squad of 23 outfield players as well as three goalkeepers.
It’s Mourinho’s first time working with such a large squad, with the boss usually preferring a smaller close-knit core of players.
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And the claims Mourinho is now set to revert to what he knows best by calling time on four players who are no longer needed at Old Trafford.
Bastian Schweinsteiger will be the first to go after failing to make United’s first-team plans, and although his exit won’t affect the 23-man squad size, he will free up valuable wages needed to bankroll the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Next up is Morgan Schneiderlin, who has made just two starts this season despite being viewed as one of Louis van Gaal’s key signings in the summer of 2015.
Memphis Depay will also be shown the backdoor by Mourinho, with the Dutchman failing to make any sort of impression in the new campaign.
The emergence of the versatile Marcus Rashford has hastened Depay’s decline, with a loan move to Roma reportedly on the card.
The final player to be booted is Matteo Darmian, who has lost out to Antonio Valencia in the battle for right-back and is now behind youngster Timothy Fosu-Mensah in the pecking order.
Meanwhile, a number of United players are said to be growing unhappy with Mourinho’s ‘hands-off’ approach in training sessions.
The Red Devils were on the receiving end of a 4-0 battering against Chelsea last Sunday, and it’s claimed Mourinho is letting assistant Rui Faria lead at Carrington while he watches from his office.
A number of aces are shocked their new gaffer is failing to build any relationships, but Mourinho is believed to prefer keeping his distance these days after spectacular fallouts at Real Madrid and Chelsea.