5 players Jose Mourinho needs to rid Manchester United of

It won’t be a football season without the sour-faced moaning of Mourinho. The “Special One” has been anything but special for a while now.

The muted optimism that greeted his appointment in 2016 has given way to doubt. While his first season was an acceptable one: Europa League and Capital One trophies, the second was a car crash by all metrics.

One aspect that Mourinho was expected to have worked on was the playing staff. For a club that prides itself on its astute business sense and financial strength, the club has quite a number of middling to average players on its books.

There can be no doubt that the Portuguese coach has improved upon the very dismal fare served up under David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal. However, the refusal to rid the team of underperforming personnel is one that baffles.

With the new era at Arsenal and Chelsea, the transfer splurge of Liverpool and the continued excellence of Manchester City, United will have to perform at peak levels if they're to realistically challenge for the league title.

Here is a look at five players that Mourinho will need to bin, and fast before the transfer deadline of August 10th.

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#5 Phil Jones

Jones is not good enough for United

It seems a lifetime ago and in a different reality that Sir Alex Ferguson said Jones would go on to be a great defender.

Ever since his £16.5m move from Blackburn Rovers in 2011, a succession of injuries has stopped the England international from showing what he is capable of on a regular basis.

On the occasions he has been fit to play, he has impressed in fits and starts. His style of play: rugged, uncompromising, physical and robust usually look good against lower-ranked opponents or in a very defensive setup.

However, his lack of nous and true quality are almost always shown up against quality opponents. More often than not, he is dragged out of position by opponents skilled at using movement with and without the ball to go past opponents.

His recent struggles against Eden Hazard in the FA Cup final and World Cup are a clear demonstration of the fact that he does not have the skills needed to play for a club like Manchester United.

#4 Chris Smalling

Smalling has not improved during his time at Old Trafford

Smalling is currently the longest-serving centre-back in the squad. As such, he should be the one leading the team from the back like Giorgio Chiellini at Juventus, Vincent Kompany at Manchester City or Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case as it often looks like he is the one in need of direction. A defender capable of being very good on his day, he is also prone to comical lapses in judgment.

His slow-paced style, weakness in possession, susceptibility to aerial threats, are just some of his less-endearing features.

His present state looks even more frustrating when it is remembered that he was one of the few highlights of the LVG era.

To be fair to Mourinho, he has entrusted the Englishman with regular playing time to prove himself. When all defenders are fully fit, it is expected that Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly will be Jose’s first choice centre-back pairing.

#3 Matteo Darmian

Darmian looks to be on his way out of Old Trafford

The Italian was hailed as the replacement for Gary Neville when he was signed under Louis Van Gaal. Never one known for pace (which Italian fullback is?), it was expected that he would defend more with intelligence and an excellent reading of the game (similar to Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta).

The Italian has failed to reach similar heights to the Spaniard since he joined the Old Trafford giants. Always looking unsure and ponderous on the ball, he looked sufficiently mediocre under Van Gaal.

Lacking the defensive fire and rugged nature Mourinho likes from his defenders, Darmian has unsurprisingly been used sparingly by the Portuguese manager.

Like fellow fullback Luke Shaw, both players have failed to convince the manager. The Italian has not helped his cause by constantly dropping 2/10 performances when called upon.

With former suitors, Juventus sufficiently enamoured with new signing Joao Cancelo, a move to a lower-ranked Serie A club seems to be the only available option to the Italian international.

#2 Ander Herrera

Herrera has not shone in the United jersey

When asked to talk about a Spanish central midfielder; the image that comes to mind is usually a pleasant one. Calm in possession, great passer, good movement on and off the ball and a hard worker to boot.

This was something that Herrera was when he was at Athletic Bilbao under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa. Unfortunately, he has regressed terribly since he arrived at Old Trafford.

He was purchased for £29m to be the team’s deep-lying playmaker during Van Gaal’s unsuccessful attempts to turn the Red Devils into a European-styled team.

This has not worked though. In his urge to adapt to the English game, he has become a typical English all-action midfielder; lots of running around and hard work but little in the way of control, creativity or end product.

This has meant that Paul Pogba has been solely tasked with creating from midfield for the Red Devils. This sea change of attitude explains why successive Spanish managers have deemed him unworthy of a national call-up.

With the signing of Brazilian midfielder Fred, it seems Herrera’s days at United are numbered.

#1 Juan Mata

Mata is not delivering the goods on the pitch

One of the nicest guys in football, Mata is a player beloved by the fans of all the clubs he has featured for. When Mourinho binned him during his second spell at Chelsea, the outcry was deafening.

Now reunited with the same man who deemed him unworthy, Mata’s showings in a Manchester United shirt have not proved Jose wrong.

Brought in by Moyes for £37.1m in January 2014, the little Spaniard has not exactly set the world on fire. It is true that he has been misused by a succession of managers at Old Trafford, from Moyes to Mourinho.

Proving the old maxim that “a person can't be two things at the same time” right, Mata has not excelled in any of the positions which these managers have placed him in be it playmaker, right-sided midfielder or deep-lying playmaker.

His slow and languid style more often than not slows down the play. His best feature, his passing, is no longer as topnotch as it was. It has been painful to watch his decline in contrast to former Valencia teammate David Silva, who like fine wine has gotten better as he has aged.

He can no longer dictate and create for United in a style similar to the leading playmakers at Europe’s premier club sides. If Mourinho’s men are to do better, they will have to do it without Mata’s influence.