After completing his fourth and final signing, it is now the time to assess the entire squad again. Many believe that the manager is now working to offload the players, who are deemed as the surplus in his plans. Youngsters like Tyler Blackett, Donald Love and Paddy McNair have already left the club on a permanent transfer, while the players like Januzaj, Varela and Borthwick-Jackson have been sent on loan.
Now, according to the previous reports from ESPN, the fellow Premier League side Stoke City were looking to sign Manchester United defender Phil Jones and their assistant manager Mark Bowen even admitted: “something may happen.”
It is understood that Stoke’s manager, Mark Hughes, is a long-term admirer of Phil Jones and is looking to lure the player into the squad:
“I remember Sam Allardyce talking about him when he broke through and said he was the new Duncan Edwards,” he told the Stoke Sentinel.
“But we have a bit of reputation for bringing players like that into this set up and then thriving. Fingers crossed, something may happen.”
But recently, the defender himself has broken the silence and has admitted that he wants to stay with the Old Trafford club and want to work with Jose Mourinho.
“I didn’t play much football last season so it’s important for me to stay fit and give myself a bit of an edge at the start of the season, come back fit and strong,” Jones told JD football.
“I’ve started seasons off and set this goal and that goal, and I want to do this and I want to do that. I just want to play football this season and just enjoy it, play games and win things ultimately and hopefully we can do that.”
Jones, 24, only managed 10 Premier League appearances last season and has not made Mourinho’s matchday squad for their first two games of the season.
Furthermore, According to the reports from The Daily Mail, Manchester United’s young midfielder Andreas Pereira is close on joining the La Liga outfit Granada on loan. The 20-year-old has been highly rated by the spectators, yet his first team chances have been minimum and now with the players like Mkhitaryan, Martial, Depay and Lingard at their side, his first team opportunity is next to zero.
He becomes the fourth United player to leave the club this week following James Wilson, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Tyler Blackett and the 14th overall since Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal and decided he needed to reduce the size of his squad.
The 20-year-old has only made 14 first-team appearances for United, and a move to Spain might rejuvenate his career. Granada narrowly avoided relegation from La Liga last season and started the current campaign with a 1-1 draw against Villarreal last Saturday.