Five players David Moyes must sacrifice for Manchester Unitedai??i??s Summer Overhaul

With rumours about that David Moyes has been given a massive transfer kitty for a summer overhaul, we look at five players from the current squad who need to be sacrificed.

After a controlled performance against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, it looks like the clouds of trouble have been blown away temporarily from the Manchester sky. However, the winds of change wonai??i??t be leaving in a hurry. In what was David Moyesai??i??s 42nd consecutive match without naming the same starting eleven, club captain Nemanja Vidic was slotted on the bench. The big Serbianai??i??s future already decided, Moyes replaced the Inter Milan-bound centre half with Phil Jones, who was partnered by Chris Smalling, to many, the future English central defensive pairing. Jones was one of the goalscorers in the welcome win for United, which may give certain weight to the argument that a clear out at Old Trafford is the need of the hour.

With all the news going on about the players who are going to be targets for Moyes in the summer, there is bound to be a mass exodus of current players deemed surplus to requirement or not good enough for the United shirt. Accompanying Vidic through the exit doors could be Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Shinji Kagawa. Nonetheless, we grab the managerial reins at United to take a pop at who David Moyes would compromise to make way for the recruits from his summer splurge. A list of prospective ai???Outsai??? is as follows:

1) Rio Ferdinand

The former West Ham and Leeds United defender has been a loyal servant to the club for twelve fruitful years in which he has won six Premier League and one Champions League titles. However, at the fag end of his career, Ferdinand is not the imposing figure in Unitedai??i??s heart of defence as he used to be.

Signs of Ferdinandai??i??s decline were first observed when Sir Alex Ferguson commented on how Ferdinand needs to rely more on his defensive instincts than his speed to get the job done, in the wake of the humiliating 6-1 defeat to Manchester City in 2011. In his latest autobiography, Ferguson notes how Ferdinand needed to be ai???on the scene to stop the crimeai??? as opposed to catching up to opposition attackers as he loses the yard of pace that made him a dominating defensive force in the years gone by.

Ferdinand has been rotated in the starting eleven often by Moyes, who clearly still thinks the former England man has something to add to the team given his vast experience. However, the time is ripe for Moyes to zero-in on a permanent central defensive pairing. Jonny Evans looks set to grab one of those positions and the other could go to either Chris Smalling or Phil Jones, the latter destined, in the words of Ferguson, to be a great Manchester United defender.

Moyes needs to make the decision soon on whether he already has the central defensive pairing of the future at the club, or if he needs to buy a world class central defender ai??i?? Mehdi Benatia and Eliaquim Mangala have been mentioned as possible recruits. For him to arrive at the decision, Jones, Smalling and Evans must be given a decent run in central defence, which means curtains for Rio Ferdinand. It has been a career of stability and solidity for both Ferdinand and Vidic, but it looks like the time is right for a synchronous exit from the club.

Verdict: Sell

2) Patrice Evra

Often at blame for Unitedai??i??s defensive frailties this season, and for good reason, Evraai??i??s has been a downward slide as a left wing back in the league. From being one of the best left backs in the country a few seasons ago, Evra has been left far too often on his backside by opposition wingers. Out of position on numerous occasions, it looks like the Frenchman has lost his game a little and has been on the receiving end of considerable flak from United supporters.

The fans, however, forget Evraai??i??s contribution in attack. For the past couple of seasons, Evra has been decent flying up the pitch and whipping in crosses for his teammates ai??i?? Evra has averaged 5 assists per season for the last three seasons. It would therefore be a little premature to let Evra go given his experience and the fact that United will have to let him go on a free as his contract expires in the summer. Perhaps Moyes would be better off finding a first choice left back, and having Alexander Buttner and Evra as back-ups. Evraai??i??s experience could rub off on Buttner and the new first choice left back that Moyes is inclined to sign from a list of prospectives that includes Southamptonai??i??s Luke Shaw, Real Madrid second choice Fabio Coentrao and Everton full back Leighton Baines.

Verdict ai??i?? Extend contract by a year and keep as backup

3) Shinji Kagawa

What a shame it is to see a player of the quality of Kagawa cooling his heels on the dugout. The Japanese playmaker has endured a frustrating time at Old Trafford and must be looking back ruefully at his decision to join United from a Borussia Dortmund team, in which he was the heartbeat in midfield, pulling all the strings for the German side.

The summary of Kagawaai??i??s two year stint at Old Trafford is that there is no clue on where to use the playmakerai??i??s talents ai??i??similar to the situation United found themselves in when in 2001 they signed the talented Argentine playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron. The number 10 spot, which is Kagawaai??i??s preferred role already has two player ahead of him in the pecking order. Wayne Rooney made the spot his own after some stellar performances at the start of this season and the arrival of Juan Mata has just made the competition more intense for Kagawa.

Sir Alex Ferguson himself admitted that Kagawa can be used only in a specific way, meaning he cannot be considered as a versatile option on the wings. Moyes himself has also struggled to fit Kagawa somewhere in the United midfield and it looks like the Japanese international is going to be shown the exit door. Kagawa still has two years left on his contract and United could get good value on the player should they sell him in the summer.

Verdict ai??i?? Sell

4) Antonio Valencia

It is true that Valencia does some things consistently well. His crossing of the ball is accurate, his work ethic is fantastic and his defensive work-rate deserves praise. But in these strengths also lie his weaknesses. Valencia is a predictable classical winger, who will do things well in his limitations but nothing more. Knowing your limitations and sticking to your strength is a fine attribute to have, but when the team needs flair and unpredictability, Valencia is not the man for the job.

His resistance to change was seen in recent matches. After acquiring Juan Mata from Chelsea and incorporating him on the left wing, David Moyes tinkered the way his players set up on the pitch by bringing the wingers in a bit and not having them as wide as they played originally. This was a move to utilize Mataai??i??s on the ball skills, deft touches and short passes. But, in order to give Mata more access to the ball, Moyes has disturbed Valenciaai??i??s out and out classical winger position. Valencia looks at sea playing a little inside the wings. He is unsure of what to do and his hesitation enables opposition defenders to break up play more easily.

If Moyes has to go with the route of playing Mata on the wings, he has to get a similar ball playing, flair winger on the right to replace Valencia. The only position that then remains for Valencia to occupy is the right back position where he has performed well in the past. However, with the Da Silva twins earmarked for that role in the future, Valencia could be surplus to requirements.

Verdict ai??i?? Sell

5) Robin van Persie

The Dutchman who single handedly won Manchester Untedai??i??s last Premier League medal has cut an increasingly lonely figure under David Moyes. It is clear that Van Persie is not enamoured by life at Old Trafford. From slouching around the pitch dragging his feet to criticizing his teammatesai??i?? positioning after the shock defeat to Olympiakos, Van Persie has given the impression that he would much rather be playing his trade elsewhere than stay and rebuild United in Moyesai??i??s light.

It is understandable that Van Persie should feel shortchanged given Sir Alex Fergusonai??i??s departure after only one season of signing him from Arsenal. That injustice could still be rankling in the striker as he looks to have given up on his teammates on the pitch. In the game against Olympiakos, Rooney and Van Persie never passed the ball to one another and there is speculation that tension is rife between the two. Also doing rounds is the news, though categorically denied by Moyes, that the manager and Van Persie do not see eye to eye.

Given that Rooney has signed a new long term contract at United, it is clear that the England international is going nowhere in the near future. Rooney has long expressed his wish to play in his preferred lone striker role and now, with Juan Mata in the team to play the number 10 role, it might not be a bad idea to let a sullen Van Persie leave and let Rooney play up front. Moyes could even go for a new striker like Robert Lewandowski who has age on his side. Van Persie is pushing 31 years in age but still has the quality to command a decent fee if he were to move on from Old Trafford, with interest coming from Real Madrid, Barcelona and former club Arsenal.

Verdict ai??i?? Sell outside England

Five players David Moyes must sacrifice for Manchester Unitedai??i??s Overhaul

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