"Let's not get too excited..." - A tiny message that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar sent to the club's fans who are pumped up since watching their club's 1-0 victory over Brendan Rodgers' Leicester City. Although United collected all three points from a very hard-fought encounter, we can't say that their overall performance was an assured one.
If we take a look at post-match stats, we'll find how Leicester City dominated much of the contest. The game could have ended easily with a 0-0 scoreline, but thanks to Marcus Rashford's well-taken penalty United prevailed.
While youngsters like Scott McTominay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Marcus Rashford did justice to their talents, veterans like Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic found the going slightly more difficult. There were a number of occasions when the experienced members of the squad failed to live up to expectations.
If the old-timers of Manchester United continue to provide such kind of poor performances, the club wouldn't think twice before offloading them from the club's roster. Hence, without any further ado, let us take a look at those three veterans who might be released in the near future.
#3 Nemanja Matic
The Serbian holding midfielder, who joined Manchester United from Chelsea back in 2017, might be past his prime at Manchester United and could be released by the Red Devils in the next summer transfer market when his current contract with the club is expected to expire.
The 31-year-old has already made 66 appearances and named twice on the scoresheet for United. Although he put in some attractive perfromnances during his first season at Old Trafford, things have dramatically changed from the middle of the 2018-19 campaign when the club had been suffering from a poor run of results under their ex-boss, Jose Mourinho.
Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was given the managerial job at United, Nemanja Matic has found it tough to get into the starting line-up due to a miserable dip in form. As Ole opted to launch Matic in the defensive midfield position against Leicester City on Saturday, he got a perfect chance to demonstrate his talents and shut his critics down.
However, Matic put in an indifferent performance and was found guilty of losing possession often, a cardinal sin for a holding midfielder.
After watching Matic suffering at the heart of United's midfield, Ole Gunner Solskjaer will surely be looking to offload him and sign a holding midfielder. There are several options like Declan Rice, Ruben Neves and Sean Longstaff whom Manchester United could prefer as their next holding midfielder, while Juventus, AC Milan and Inter are lining up a free transfer for Matic next summer.
#2 Ashley Young
As the 34-year-old veteran's existing contract is expected to keep him at the club until 2020 and there is a slight chance of extending it for another year, the makeshift left-back might be released by the club next summer.
In 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson brought the talented prospect from Aston Villa for an undisclosed transfer fee. The Englishman started his glittering United career as a prolific left-winger, however, the successors of Sir Alex used him more as a wing-back.
During his eight-year stint at Old Trafford, Ashley Young has made 246 appearances so far and added a Premier League title (2012-13), FA Community Shield (2011), EFL Cup (2016-17), FA Cup (2015-16) and UEFA Europa League (2016-17) to his name.
If Ashely leaves Ole's side next summer, he might be replaced by a new acquisition. United could target the likes of Ben Chilwell, Alex Telles and Patrick van Aanholt in order to replace the 34-year-old veteran.
#1 Marcos Rojo
If everything goes as planned, Marcos Rojo could be the first individual to leave the Manchester side in the upcoming January transfer window. Since making his move to Old Trafford in 2014 from Sporting Lisbon, the Argentine has made 73 appearances for the Red Devils.
Under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, things are not going well for the 29-year-old centre-back. As the Norweigan has six centre-backs (Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Eric Baily, Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe and Marcos Rojo) under his belt, breaking into the starting line-up for a professional who hasn't done that much to convince the manager is undoubtedly going to be a challenging task. As a result of which, some might be looking for a January exit.
Speaking to the Argentine outlet Ole, Rojo, who had been heavily linked with Everton FC during the summer transfer window, confirmed that he will leave Manchester United in January if he doesn't get regular game-time under Solskjaer.
"he will leave Manchester United during the upcoming January transfer window if he doesn't get regular game-time..."
