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Five United midfielders that will have to pay for Pogba’s arrival

With Manchester United finally completing their pursuit of former player Paul Pogba for a world record transfer fee the focus now shifts on the players that will have to make way so the books can be balanced. In what was already a congested area of the squad Jose Mourinho will now look to trim the fat and recoup some if not nearly all of that £90m plus transfer fee. So here are the 5 midfielders that will make way this Summer and depart Old Trafford.

Marouane Fellaini

The Belgian international went on record last week and said that he was not interested in a move to Sunderland and was prepared to fight for his place at Old Trafford but after that misplaced pass in the Community Shield which allowed Jamie Vardy to equalise for Leicester I don’t think he will necessarily be allowed to make that decision himself.

The often derided former Everton man has rarely shown the form he showed at Goodison Park and has certainly not lived up to the £27m that David Moyes paid for him in 2013. For a team that prides itself on fast attacking football, Fellaini seems to be the opposite and one too many clumsy performances in a United shirt has seen the patience with fans worn out. Not many will shed a tear if the 28 year old departs before the end of the month

Juan Mata

After he came on for Jesse Lingard in the Community Shield on Sunday many felt that maybe Mourinho was willing to give him a second chance under his stewardship by the time he was then subbed off himself in embarrassing fashion then you knew that Mata’s time at Old Trafford is coming to an end.

Mourinho has already sent him packing once before as it was he who sold him to Manchester United back in 2014 and it looks as if lightning will now strike twice for the 28 year old. With Mata being a World Cup and European Championship winner there will certainly be a long line of suitors but he won’t be wearing the United red come September

Adnan Januzaj

After bursting on the scene at Old Trafford in the 2013-14 season, Januzaj’s career has somewhat stalled. That was mainly in part to the arrival of Louis Van Gaal as manager. Although Van Gaal liked to give youth a chance, Januzaj was often overlooked as he saw his route to the first team blocked.

A loan spell to Borussia Dortmund last season was not a success with it being cut short in January. Januzaj himself has said that if he was to leave Old Trafford then it would have to be a permanent deal and that is very much going to be the likelihood as the 21 year old counts down his last days in Manchester.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

With the German frozen out of first team training it’s not a case of if he was to depart but when. The 31 year old being told he is surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho and Schweinsteiger’s stay at Old Trafford is set to be a short one.

He has never looked anything close to the player that bossed the Bundesliga for over a decade, if he was still that good then you would have to imagine that Bayern Munich would have never sold him themselves. A move back to Germany seems the most likely option for the recently retired international.

Memphis Depay

Bought with much fanfare last season, Depay delivered just 2 Premier League goals in 29 appearances, that was nowhere near what was expected of him and the pressure will be on for him to deliver this time around. That is if he is given the chance to do so.

The Dutchman was nowhere near the Community Shield lineup on Sunday and doesn’t seem to be figuring largely in Mourinho’s plans as of late. He may well fill that after a disappointing first season at Old Trafford that he may not be worthy of a second stint. The arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and form of Jesse Lingard will have pushed Depay down the pecking order it also may have pushed him out of the exit door.

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