The Manchester United players whose futures lie in the hands of Louis van Gaal.
Manchester United have already had a hugely busy summer in the transfer market, with new manager Louis van Gaal allowing a number of players to leave Old Trafford whilst also breaking the British transfer record to sign Angel di Maria from Real Madrid, amongst a clutch of other new signings.
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The squad at Old Trafford still looks to be unbalanced, however, and with a number of players underperforming for United there are set to be more changes in coming transfer windows, with the Standard reporting that five players whose contracts expire at the end of the 2015/16 season, meaning that United will have to come to a conclusion on their futures soon or risk losing them on free transfers.
These are the five stars in question:
David de Gea
It is likely that United will be extremely keen to tie goalkeeper David de Gea to a long term deal as soon as possible, with the Spanish international having continued to flourish at Old Trafford since his arrival from Atletico Madrid. De Gea can now be considered as one of the finest on the planet.
Jonny Evans
The future is far less certain for central defender Jonny Evans, who has seen injury curtail his United career significantly, particularly during their miserable 2013/14 campaign. He will need to perform better than he was able to in the 4-0 League Cup defeat to MK Dons if he is to prove himself as a long term part of van Gaal’s plans.
Phil Jones
Has been first choice at centre back for both United and England during the opening exchanges of the new season, but his performances are still a long way away from those promised by the precocious young talent that arrived from Blackburn Rovers. It would not be a surprise if van Gaal decided to cut his losses on Jones and look for someone more solid.
Chris Smalling
Much like Jones, central defender Chris Smalling has suffered from his own versatility and hasn’t fulfilled the potential that he promised upon arrival from Fulham. Likely to be given more of an extensive chance to grasp the opportunity as a centre back this season, it could be his last chance to prove himself worthy of the United jersey.
Robin van Persie
The arrival of Radamel Falcao at Old Trafford from AS Monaco on a season-long loan deal, with a view to a permanent move, leaves Robin van Persie in an interesting position. Van Gaal’s captain for the Netherlands at the World Cup looks like the most likely man to make way for the Colombian superstar once he is fit and firing on all cylinders and there are question marks over both the Dutchman’s fitness and form.