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Manchester United have experienced a tremendous turnaround in their fortunes since the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and won 8 of their last 9 Premier League matches. They now have 48 points from 25 matches and overtaken Arsenal in the league table.
Should this dream run continue, Solskjaer might very well be appointed their full-time manager at the beginning of the next season. However, he is going to face a sterner test in the coming days, as United are going to play PSG in the UEFA Champions League and the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Moreover, they would also want to sign some new players, and therefore, should be ready sell some of their current players. We would like to look at 3 such players, who could be leaving United this season:
1. Antonio Valencia:
Valencia has been a very good player for United for the last 10 seasons and captained them for a while too. However, he has not had too many playing opportunities this season, as veteran Ashley Young has regularly played as the right-back. Young has been one of the most consistent United players this season and hardly given Valencia any chance to make regular appearances for them.
Valencia has only played in 8 matches for United this season and is not getting any younger. He is already 33 years old and played in 338 matches for United till date. Still, it would be difficult for him to get regular playing opportunities for United. Therefore, it would be advisable for him to leave the club.
He is still quite fast and strong, and also continues to be a very good crosser of the ball. He should have no problem in finding takers among the smaller clubs in the Premier League or other football leagues like Serie A. Serie A should actually be quite suitable for a physical specimen like him, and he might consider moving to a club like AC Milan or Inter Milan or AS Roma.
Valencia probably does not feature in Solskjaer’s long-term plans, and might be spending his last season with the club. However, the Ecuador defender remains one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most successful signings in recent times.
2. Matteo Darmian:
Darmian remains one of the very few Italian footballers to have played for United, but has not been able to make a regular place in the starting line-up in his 4 seasons with them. He has been with United since 2015, but appeared in only 91 matches for them and scored 1 goal.
He has played both as the left-back and right-back for United, but made only 6 appearances for them this season, as Luke Shaw cemented his place in the starting line-up as the left-back. Darmian is still quite young, and should not be very happy to warm the bench.
Moreover, United also might want to sell him and sign a younger full-back in the future. They might want a youngster to be there in the squad as a back-up for Shaw, and therefore, there might be no place for Darmian in it. His contract with United runs till 30.06.2019, and we can safely assume that it is not going to be extended.
3. Juan Mata:
The 3030-year-old Mata has been with United since 2014, but found it somewhat difficult to become a regular starter for them. He is a skillful player with good passing and shooting abilities, but has succeeded in scoring only 44 goals in 209 matches for United so far.
He has already been linked with other English clubs like Arsenal, and made 23 appearances for United this season so far. Moreover, most of those appearances have come as a substitute only. Players like Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba have been superb under Solskjaer, and lent solidity to the United midfield.
United are already having talks with attacking midfielders like Antoine Griezmann for the next season and Mata should find it increasingly difficult to find a place in the starting eleven. Therefore, it might be time for him to reconsider his options, and make a switch to some other club. He could sign for any other English club or even return to Spain to play in the LaLiga. Either way, this could very well be his last season with United.
In any case, Mata's contract with Manchester United ends this summer, so he might well be allowed to leave on a free transfer.
