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Manchester United started a complete overhaul of their internal working system earlier this week by sacking Jose Mourinho as manager and replacing him with former club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer till the end of the 2018/19 season. The appointment of Solskjaer has cheered up United fans, who expect the players to play with more freedom now.
However, not everything lies in the hands of the manager and the players need to start taking responsibility too. There have a lot of players accumulated at United who serve no purpose and remain at Old Trafford only to warm the benches over the years. Selling these players will free up the wage bill, which will direct the money towards better and more efficient players.
We make a list of three such players who need to be sold by United in the January transfer window.
#1 Phil Jones
It is no wonder that England centre-back Phil Jones tops this list. He is technically poor and prone to make lots of errors which lead to United's opponents to score goals. Jones has failed over a period of time and it is a surprise that he is still at the club. He came to Old Trafford in 2011 from Blackburn and has survived four managerial changes.
Phil Jones is surplus to United's requirements and quite frankly, even Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay have better defensive abilities than him. He is not authoritative at all and has been very poor in the heart of United's defence.
#2 Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia, Manchester United's captain, is another player whom they need to sell in January. The experienced right-back, who was signed from Wigan Athletic by Sir Alex Ferguson as a potential replacement for the departing Cristiano Ronaldo on the right wing, has lost his legs and has become very injury-prone.
Valencia's rapid pace on the flank has declined considerably in the last year and a half. His place in the starting XI is constantly under threat from the young Diogo Dalot. Even when fit, Mourinho preferred the versatile Ashley Young at right-back earlier. He can still ply his trade in the top tier in England, but only with smaller clubs.
#3 Matteo Darmian
Matteo Darmian has been a faithful servant of Manchester United since 2015 when he signed from Italian club Torino, but the emergence of Diogo Dalot has threatened his place at the right-back position. Juventus have reportedly shown interest in Darmian, and he needs to be sold to free up the wage bill at Old Trafford.
Darmian is a good squad player but does not have a lot to offer in terms of skill. If the Italian is sold, promising defender Axel Tuanzebe can be recalled from loan as a replacement.
