#2 Chris Smalling
Under Louis van Gaal’s reign, Smalling was easily Manchester United’s best defender. He looked to have finally reached the heights that Sir Alex Ferguson predicted when he bought him from Fulham in 2010.
Now at 27 years old, the England centre-back has seemingly regressed as a player. Mourinho likes a ball-playing centre back, but that is clearly not Smalling. He does not possess the technical ability to play out from the back and looks incredibly skittish when being closed down by the opposition’s attackers.
When in the mid-to-late twenties, you would expect a centre-back to be coming into his prime and be a stalwart in the heart of your defence. Smalling is not a reliable defender and has made some calamitous mistakes this season. It is time for the club to move him on and bring in either a world-class central defender or one who has the potential to become one.
Fee: £15m (two years left on his contract)
