5 Players Who May Leave Manchester United By January

With the current rejuvenation happening around Old Trafford, several players are beginning to feel the heat. After the tour of the United States, Van Gaal had hoped to see for himself those players who could fit into his philosophy in order to make a more informed decision. As much as he gave every player ample opportunity, some of them still failed to convince the Dutchman. Van Gaal started to prune his squad by getting rid of Kagawa, Nani, Cleverly and Welbeck to make space for more promising talents.

With the arrival of Van Gaal’s stars and some more by January, many more players had their future at the club looking bleak. Although Van Gaal will work assiduously to make them all fit into the scheme of things, he cannot choose to field mercurial players at the expense of the more prolific ones. This is not to say that these players aren’t putting up their best efforts, but for a club like United, such efforts are ridiculously below par. Should they attempt to improve their performances, they might be able to convince Louis Van Gaal to keep them on his payroll just like Ashley Young but except that, the following players might cease to be Manchester United players come January.

Anderson: He got mouths wagging in his first few games, performances which made many feel United had found a future Keane, but as fast as he warmed his way into people’s heart, so was his decline in form. The former F.C Porto man has continually refused to impress even when he was loaned out to Fioretina early this year. Now that he is back he hadn’t made any start for Van Gaal with the exception of the horrible loss to the MK Dons in the F.A cup. Reports have it that he might be on his way to the Indian super league, which is very terrible for a player that once showed so much talent. Anyway, there is no way Anderson can survive the January pruning.

Fellaini: The Belgian came in at the call of former United boss David Moyes. Manchester United had little transfer activity to do in the summer of 2013 and where desperate to sign a mid-fielder having missed out on Fabregas and Herrera. Fellaini struggled in his first season mainly due to injury and has never had a strong footing in the United mid-field. Now with the inclusion of Herrera and Mata, Fellaini will have to battle for substitute roles with Vice Captain Fletcher and Carrick. If we are to account for the reserve team mid-fielders who will also be jostling for play time then it’s time for Fellaini to seek solace elsewhere.

Smalling: Very similar to Fellaini above, he has also seen his form dwindle down, and with the likely spending spree to bolster the defense by January, United may shove him the boot. However, Smalling has caught the fancy of Arsenal of recent, and if the deal is imminent then he should grab it with both hands.

Juan & Januzaj: These are two very promising players, there only problem is that United has players who are better suited to their role. Juan has Rooney to contend with while Januzaj will have to bid his time as he faces a stiff competition in Di Maria. In case they can’t persevere, then they may seek clubs who will likely provide them with more play time.

Tomilayo Alapinni