Forget Signings: Three Players Manchester United Must Sell This Summer

Manchester United’s victory over Liverpool in Miami in the International Champions Cup final was the first piece of silverware under Louis Van Gaal. Not only did they win all their games, but also played with a swagger and confidence that was nowhere to be seen last time around. The Red Devils impressed in their pre-season tour, playing some eye-catching football and scoring some magnificent goals.

While there are still some flaws to be ironed out, that is to be expected as a result of them having to play in not just a different style but a completely different formation. Every single player who went on tour, got an opportunity to impress. While some, like Ashley Young and new-signing Ander Herrera took the opportunity with both hands, others didn’t really make much of an impact.

Although there is less than two weeks to go before the start of the Premier League campaign, the Red Devils still have dead wood to clear. Irrespective of whether new players come in or not, the club will have to sell a few players, who either don’t fit in the current system, or don’t have what it takes to cut it at Manchester United any longer. Here are three players that the club must offload this summer.

Nani

If there is one footballer, who currently plies his trade at Old Trafford, who has the genuine sprinkling of star dust, that Cristiano Ronaldo brought during his time, it is Nani. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, far too often, Nani has failed to deliver and gone missing in games. For every fantastic performance that he has, there are a string of bad ones, just around the corner. Quite how he was rewarded with a lucrative contract last summer is a still a mystery.

All things considered, it looks like the time has finally come to offload this infuriating Portuguese winger, who has gone from being a regular in the starting XI to being a bench-warmer far too often in his time with Manchester United. With Van Gaal’s formation also having little use for wingers like Nani, who don’t track back and have the versatility to play as wing backs, the time is ripe to sell the enigma that is Nani.

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Marouane Fellaini

If there is one player who exemplified Moyes time at Manchester United, then it is Fellaini. Brought in from Everton, the Afro-haired Belgian has struggled to fit in at Old Trafford. At Everton, he was used as a battering ram in attack, but since he couldn’t do that at United, he was forced to play deeper in a role, which the player himself considered was his best position. However, even that proved to be a wrong call, as the Belgian only managed to worsen an already inept central midfield with his performances.

Not only did Fellaini not score last season, he was inept at even holding onto the ball and finding his team-mates. With Napoli confirming their interest in the 26-year-old Belgian, now is as good a time as any for the club to cut their losses and sell him on as he unlikely to play any further part at United.

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Anderson

When he was signed as a 19-year-old in 2007, many things were expected out of Anderson. After all, he was billed as the box-to-box midfielder that the club had been crying out loud for. Although he impressed one and all in his first couple of seasons, injuries, drop in form and an increase in weight meant that the Brazilian never quite lived up to the expectations set forth by the United faithful.

Constantly injured or out of form, Anderson rarely had a string of games in which he showed just why Ferguson made him one of the costliest teenagers in world football. Patience is a virtue that all football fans must have, but after seven-and-a-half years, it looks as though the time has finally come to let him go and look elsewhere in their bid to reinforce their central midfield.