Midfielders
Michael Carrick: The lynchpin of the current United midfield, the former Spurs man is absolutely vital to Manchester United, and is sorely, sorely missed when not playing. The one player who’s spot in the team is absolutely not in question. Stay.
Marouanne Fellaini: Having stated when he joined the club that he wanted to be ‘the new Roy Keane’, Fellaini has not made the kind of impact that he or Moyes would have wanted and expected when he made the £27.5m move this summer. Not technically good enough to play off a front man, and needs to work on his passing and positioning if he wants to join Carrick in the deeper role in midfield. I wouldn’t give up on him just yet though. Stay.
Tom Cleverley: Loved by players and managers, but continually questioned by fans, it is make or break time now for Cleverley and his Manchester United career. Given the lack of depth in midfield, he needs to take his chance to show everyone what he can do. His role in the team is to keep the game ticking over and retain possession for the champions, which he does well, but he needs to impose himself more going forward and really dominate a few games before he proves his doubters wrong. Still young though with time to develop, and worth hanging on to. Stay.
Anderson: Immensely talented footballer with a wand of a left foot, but almost continually injured and his chances is recent seasons have been fewer and fewer. Unlikely to ever be a started, needs to move on, for his sake and for the club. Leave. A replacement such as Joao Moutinho from Monaco, or Marco Verratti from PSG would be good.
Darren Fletcher: The Scotland captain has done incredibly well to recover from his horrible condition and get back to playing football, and United need him to rediscover his old form. On his day was a brilliant midfielder who could control and dominate games, and a partnership between him and Carrick at the heart of the team could only be a good thing. Stay.
Ryan Giggs: Probably the best Premier League player ever, and in the running for best player to ever play for Manchester United, but in his forties now, and trying hard to hold back time. Can still have a great impact on a game, but can’t be expected to play a large part in any success the team has. Fully expect him to retire at the end of the season to concentrate on coaching and really start his journey to becoming a Manchester United manager, which surely will happen eventually. Leave. An ideal replacement would be Ross Barkley, who has the ability to become one of the best players of his generation.
Antonio Valencia: The club’s player of the year in 2011, and a classic go-past-your-man-and-cross-it winger, Valencia has admitted that having the famous number 7 on his back weighed heavily on his mind last season, and probably did affect his performances. Having reverted back to his favoured 25 this year, looks to be getting back to his best, and his partnership with Rafael has shades of the old Beckham-Neville partnership of old. Needs to gain consistency over a long period of games though, and work on his final ball. Stay
Nani: Possibly the most frustrating player I have ever seen play for Manchester United. Immensely naturally talented, Nani has as much talent as you could ever wish to see, and when he has a good game he tears defences to pieces, but so often doesn’t perform as well as we know he can. Nani is very much a confidence player who needs a long run in the team, but his performances just havn’t warranted it. If Moyes gets offered £20m for him, I really hope he takes it and ends the torture, but unfortunately I don’t think he will, given that he somehow earned himself a new 5 year contract. Leave. I would love to see someone like Angel Di Maria join as a replacement, or Lucas Romero from PSG might be worth a bet.
Ashley Young: Another terrifically talented player, who can win matches on his own, but whose performances over the last few seasons just have not been good enough on a consistent basis. Young’s game is very one-dimensional and defenders are just stopping him from cutting inside on his favoured right foot, so unless he develops a way of dealing with this, and quickly, his days as a Red Devil are surely numbered. Leave. Javier Pastore from PSG would be a great signing to replace Young, and he is supposedly unsettled at PSG, or Adam Lallana from Southampton.
Adnan Januzaj: This boy will be world-class. If he keeps working hard and developing in the way we expect, then United have potentially got themselves another Ronaldo. He is THAT good. To have the impact that he has had, on the biggest stage of all at Old Trafford, as a teenager, is astonishing. So often looks the most dangerous player for the champions, and will only get better. Developing Januzaj to fulfil his potential has to be one of Moyes’ top priorities. Stay.
Wilfried Zaha: Very good player, Zaha has everything you could want in a young winger, and his performances for Palace last season were excellent. But he needs game time to develop, and under Moyes he just isn’t getting any at the Theatre of Dreams. A loan move in January to any of a number of interested Premier League clubs is surely the best thing for all concerned. Leave (on loan).
Bebe: I don’t even need to say anything. Get rid. Quickly. Leave. No need to replace him, just please get him off our books.
Shinji Kagawa: One of the biggest conundrums facing Moyes at the moment is how to get the Japanese international and former Bundesliga player of the year into his team and performing. Kagawa’s biggest problem is that he can’t play as one of a midfield pair until he works on his defending and work rate, and that his favoured position as a number 10 is Rooney’s position. If Moyes can get Rooney, RVP and Kagawa all on the pitch at the same time and working in harmony, without wasting any of them out wide, then United will be a real threat. Stay.
Nick Powell: A bright young star in the making, and as close to a replacement for Paul Scholes as Fergie ever found. Capable of playing in central midfield, off a striker or as the main forward, Powell has a devestating long-range shot, but with excellent passing and technical ability, and is making a real impact with Wigan at the moment, both in the championship and during their brief foray into Europe. For me, should be recalled and should play an active part in the first-team, as I thought he would from the start of the season. Stay (get recalled).
Jesse Lingard: A bright young attacking midfielder with bags of ability, Lingard was selected for the pre-season tour, and ended as top scorer with four goals in as many matches. He had hoped to break into the first team this season, but instead was sent on loan to Birmingham, where he has really impressed and has 6 goals from his 13 league games. Stay.
Larnell Cole: Cole was an integral part of the U21’s victory in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League last year, with notable contributions including a hat-trick against arch-rivals Liverpool in the semi-final, and two goals in the final as part of the remarkable come back against Spurs. At the age of 20, needs another year or two to develop before I would expect to see too much of him in the first-team, but no doubt he will get there eventually. Stay.