By Dave Marshall
The Manchester United board and hierarchy have told manager, Jose Mourinho that he has to sell some fringe players if he is to have money to sign more players in the winter transfer window. Despite spending heavily in the summer window, the Portuguese tactician is still looking at a number of names to help him bolster his squad as he looks to make a mark on the Premier League and Champions League this season.
The likes of Luke Shaw, Daley Blind and others are looking nervously over their shoulders as they don’t seem like the coach’s favourites, meaning that they could be sold in January to accommodate new arrivals. Daily Star report that the club has instructed the manager to sanction the sale of some players in a bid to reduce the wage bill at the club which rose by 13.5 percent to around £263.5m, according to the club’s latest financial statements released in September.
Mourinho, since arriving at Old Trafford has spent around £285 million on new arrivals including the likes of Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof
Luke Shaw looks like the most likely player to leave the club as he has failed to impress ever since he got to the Theatre of Dreams in a hefty £27 million move from Southampton in 2014. The left back hasn’t been helped by injuries and it seems United want to ship him out before it’s too late.
United are wary of UEFA financial Fair Play regulations so are keen to let some players leave in a bid to lessen the wage bill. Despite spending big, Mourinho has sold 16 players since arriving in Manchester, but only the sales of Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay have generated any considerable income. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Wayne Rooney have also left the club, as the pair were huge earners.