5 players Manchester United should sell this summer

Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given the permanent Manchester United job in March, things haven’t exactly gone to plan at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho in December, after a poor start to the season from United, which saw them sit sixth in the table, and well short of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League. There was also widespread criticism of the Red Devils’ style of play, which many saw as defensive and too negative.

The Norwegian’s reign got off to an excellent start, winning all of his first eight games in charge of United in all competitions, a run that ended with a 2-2 draw against Burnley at Old Trafford. He also led United to the Champions League quarter-finals with an incredible comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.

However, things have changed in recent weeks. Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolves, and since being given the manager’s job permanently, Solskjaer’s side were also knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona.

They have now lost all of their last five away games in all competitions, with the most recent coming in the form of a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Everton. The result sees United stay in sixth place in the Premier League, with hopes of a top four finish looking bleak.

There will have to be big changes at Old Trafford this summer if Solskjaer wants to be successful next season, and some players will have to leave the club. Here are five players United should sell this summer.

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#1 Phil Jones

Jones has been a bit of a liability for United in recent months

When United signed Phil Jones from Blackburn in 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson said that he had the potential to be one of the club’s greatest players. The Scot wasn’t wrong about much, but he was certainly wrong about this. In the years since, Jones has appeared regularly for United, but has never really held down a place in the first team, and has consistently looked out of place.

Despite spending time both as a defensive midfielder and a right-back, Jones has played the majority of his football for United as a centre-back. He has constantly been uncomfortable when coming up against talented, quick forwards, and has been unable to deal with some of the better players he has faced. If United are to get back to the top, Jones isn’t the man they need at centre-back.

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#2 Fred

Fred hasn't looked like a £50 million player this season

Fred was the marquee signing at Old Trafford last summer. The Brazilian midfielder made the £50 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk, with Diego Dalot and Lee Grant the only other arrivals at Manchester United in the summer transfer window. The 26-year-old made a promising enough start to his United career, appearing in the opening games of the season, and scoring his first goal against Wolves.

However, since then, things haven’t gone well for Fred. He has regularly found himself out of the side, with youngsters such as Andreas Pereira and Scott McTominay favoured instead. Even when he has been selected, he has been totally unreliable in the centre of the park, and has made a number of costly mistakes. Some players simply take time to adapt to English football and although this may be the case with Fred, he looks like he simply does not have the quality to succeed at Manchester United.

#3 Paul Pogba

Pogba's future has been a constant topic of discussion

Paul Pogba is a topic of discussion, every time Manchester United are mentioned. He returned to United in 2016, which made him the then-most expensive player in football history. Since then there have been numerous debates as to whether Pogba has done enough, whether he has been played in the correct position, or whether he has the right attitude to succeed at Old Trafford.

It’s now time for Solskjaer to get rid of Pogba once and for all. On his day, he may be one of the finest players in the Premier League, but he simply does not want it enough. The Frenchman has made noises in recent weeks about joining Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid, and this is something Solskjaer should allow him to do. He may be a quality player, but United would be better off without him.

#4 Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez's time at United has been a bit of a disaster

When Alexis Sanchez made the move to Manchester United in January 2018, it looked like the Red Devils had pulled off a bit of a transfer coup by beating Manchester City to his signature. Sanchez was seen as one of the Premier League’s best players, and it was thought that his move could have helped lead to a shift of power in Manchester.

However, the move has been an absolute disaster and Sanchez will undoubtedly be considered a flop. Since joining United, the Chilean has appeared 29 times in the Premier League, scoring just three goals and providing six assists, and at the age of 30, he isn’t going to be getting any better. He looks totally short of confidence and United need to cash in on Sanchez to get his wages off the bill at the very least.

#5 Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku has scored just 12 league goals this season

This may seem like a strange one as Romelu Lukaku has an excellent goalscoring record in the Premier League and a decent record since moving to Old Trafford. The Belgian scored 16 goals in the Premier League in his debut season at United and played a big role as United finished second in the Premier League, thereby qualifying for the Champions League.

It has been a different story this time around though, and Lukaku has netted just 12 league goals so far this season and has regularly found himself on the bench since Solskjaer took over. The Norwegian will want to return United to their former glories and knows he needs a world class striker to achieve that. Lukaku misses too many chances to be considered world class, and he just isn’t good enough if United want to be the best again.