Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Manchester United raised some questions over the futures of several players at Old Trafford during the summer.
And the Portuguese’s squad that will travel to Ukraine to face Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League on Thursday evening has dropped the biggest hint yet as to who could leave the club in January.
Bastian Schweinsteiger has long been seen as the likely first casualty under Mourinho’s reign, with the Germany international having been restricted to just seven minutes of first-team football all season.
However, two more players’ careers at Manchester United are seemingly nearing an end.
The Red Devils boss has rested both Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian for their tie against the Ukrainian minnows, while leaving Michael Carrick behind after playing twice for United last week.
However, the exclusion of Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin has led one journalist at the Manchester Evening News to believe that their exclusion from the squad all but confirms their departure in January.
MEN’s football writer, Rob Dawson, said: “Can understand why Valencia, Darmian and Carrick haven’t travelled to Ukraine. But that’s got to be last straw for Schneiderlin and Depay.”
The United outcasts have made just eight appearances each for Mourinho this campaign, with neither being able to do enough to sway the opinion of the Portuguese, who seemingly made a decision on their futures a while ago.
Even Wayne Rooney has faced a serious battle for his place at the top end of the field, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial ahead of him in the pecking order. Therefore, making it an almost impossible task for Depay to break his way into the side.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Paul Pogba hasn’t helped Schneiderlin’s chances, with Mourinho having chosen to shake up his midfield on numerous occasions this season – yet, still the France international has been restricted to few appearances.
Depay has failed to live up to the expectations since arriving for around £25 million from PSV last summer, while Schneiderlin has yet to make the same impact at Old Trafford, as he had done with Southampton.
Neither, it appears, will be given another chance to prove their credentials at United, with the increasing pressure on Mourinho giving him no opportunities to take risks on players that he feels will not make a big impact on the team.
Having drawn their past three league games, the Red Devils are currently sixth in the Premier League after 14 matches – nine points short of the top four and 13 adrift of league leaders Chelsea.
It is has been far from a fairytale start for Mourinho at United, with the Portuguese currently some way off achieving the club’s target of a return to the top four this campaign.