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With the glitz, glamour and excitement of the World Cup now behind us, attention is slowly but steadily shifting back to the familiar domestic leagues. And without doubt, a large portion of this attention will be focused on how Louis Van Gaal goes about his newest job.After last season’s dismal performance, United’s owners will certainly not be shy of splashing the cash this summer. In Herrera and Shaw, United have already secured a couple of decent talents. However, what is equally important is the choice of players that Van Gaal will choose to let go of.With a new manager, the fans would love nothing more than a new style of play to accompany him. A significant aspect of rebuilding a team is selling off the personnel who don’t fit into the new vision. It is said that abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive. Before setting sight on more transfer targets, United’s new manager needs to pack off all those who are surplus to requirement. Let’s take a look at 5 players whose exit could be beneficial to both themselves and their current club:
#1 Tom Cleverley
When Tom Cleverley first burst onto the United scene, he was hailed as the next big thing at Old Trafford. Having had a decent previous season at Wigan, he was showing all the right signs in his first few matches. The passing was crisp and incisive, while the vision was exceptional. Even the attempts at goal,when they happened,were not half bad. Fans expected him to ease into the role of being United’s next midfield general.
However, who initially looked like a spectacular midfielder in the making, soon turned out to be just another mediocre talent. Preferring to pass sideways rather than looking forward, he looked to be severely lacking attacking intent last season. Sluggish in ferrying the ball into the opponent’s third, he often slowed down United’s advances towards goal. Not even showing the slightest bit of innovation, he is a far cry from his earlier, more exciting, days.
The shabby return of one goal in 22 appearances last season doesn’t help either. Even though he may sometimes get the stick for bad team performances that are not really his fault in particular, he still deserves most of the criticism that he receives. It’s time for him to move on to somewhere else and try to rediscover his skills.
#2 Luis Nani
From being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, to being totally sidelined from the first team, Nani has been through many highs and lows at Manchester United. From being a regular in the first eleven, he now gets to warm the bench on his lucky days.
Frankly, it’s a wonder that he is still present at Old Trafford. A player with his skill and acceleration deserves a regular spot in the starting line-up, which woud at the same time help him to improve upon his weakest point:consistency. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been able to gel with United’s current squad, with the result being a meagre 22 appearences in the last 2 seasons, and a paltry output of one goal.
One would think that a technically gifted player as him would do much better playing at a smaller club and getting continuous match practice. With the ability to glide past defenders at will, and a wicked left shot, he could rejuvenate his flagging career by heading for the exit gates. Though he would not sell for much at present, it would be in the best interest of both the club and himself, if they parted ways with each other.
#3 Marouane Fellaini
This one is a no-brainer. David Moyes acquired him from Everton hoping that he would reproduce the performances that he had put in the previous season. At Goodison, he was a sight to behold. His daunting stature made both defenders and strikers cringe at the thought of going up against him.
To be fair, the big mop of hair did make him look scary. Fellaini was one of the marquee players at Everton, and the fans over there expected great things from him.Upon switching clubs, Moyes decided that taking one of his star players with him only made sense. However, he soon realized, much to his surprise and dismay, that playing at Everton and playing at Manchester United were slightly different tasks.
Sixteen uninspiring appearances and zero goals later, one finds it nigh impossible to find a United fan who wants Fellaini to remain at Old Trafford. Heralded as both a great holding and attacking midfielder, he soon came to be viewed as a sluggish player who slowed down the team’s attacks. Neither did he perform any miracles in defence, being too slow to cause any problems to the opposing strikers. Simply put, he is just not good enough to play for United.
#4 Darren Fletcher
Over the years, Darren Fletcher has been many things to Manchester United. From a midfield stalwart to an emergency central defender, he has seen it all and done it all. He has served his club with great loyalty over the last decade or so. Always accomodating, he played whatever role his manager wanted him to, and always to great effect.
Nevertheless, like all good things, his stint at United needs to come to an end. Plagued with injuries in recent seasons, he has been a rare sight in United’s line-up for the last few years. Still only 30, it would be safe to say that he still has a few good years in him. It is highly improbable that he will be a regular in the starting line-up under Van Gaal, and thus needs to find a club that suits his needs better.
Uninterrupted first-team football could do his waning career a world of good, and that is something he is unlikely to get if he continues to remain at Old Trafford. Having already won everything with United, he will surely have no regrets if he decides to move on.
#5 Javier Hernandez
To be fair, Chicharito has served United pretty well. He has been a central figure in many of his team’s most important victories over the last few years. Who can forget the 36 second goal against Chelsea which went a long way in ensuring that the League title came to Old Trafford? A return of 37 goals in close to a 100 appearances is a decent output from a striker, and even more so after considering the fact that he came on as a substitute in more than half of those matches.
He has enthralled and delighted the fans with an array of goals in his time at Manchester United. Some of them were spectacular, some were opportunistic, and some were downright cheeky. However, in the past couple of seasons, he has been found lacking in both creativity as well as finishing.
The knack of being in the right place at the right time, which was the quality that once made so deadly in the penalty box, seems to be missing now. With only six starts last season, and it being highly unlikely that he would have any major role to play in Van Gaal’s future plans, he would surely be looking to head out to other pastures.
