With the former Chelsea boss being linked with an arrival at Manchester United, several Red Devils players could find themselves looking for a new club this summer.

Despite what he may say in public, current Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal knows that his days are numbered at Old Trafford. Whilst the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona coach may be allowed to stay on till the conclusion of this season, Red Devils fans will definitely be seeing a new face on the tactician's bench by this summer.

There have been plenty of names bandied about in the press, but one man's name in particular is getting the most buzz: Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician has made no secret of his desire to remain in the Premier League following his dismissal by Chelsea last year, and has even claimed that fans will see a modified version of himself if he gets the coveted position at Old Trafford. As such, with every new manager means some big changes in the squad, with incoming transfers accompanied by outgoing departures.

According to the Daily Mail, some of these players are currently first-team regulars. Let's take a look, then, at some of the faces who could be plying their trades with a different team - or even a different league - at the start of the 2016/2017 Premier League campaign.

The walking wounded...who will survive the cull?

Currently, Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Luke Shaw are among the first-team players still out on the treatment table and have missed portions of this season due to their respective injuries. All of these six men will be concerned about their futures at Old Trafford due to inactivity, but which ones should worry and which ones should breathe easily?

For starters, Colombian international Valencia has missed most of this season due to a serious foot injury, with his last appearance for Manchester United taking place during a 0-0 draw with Manchester City on October 25th. Prior to then, he made a total of nine appearances, and in his four starts, he played as a right back. Whilst his spot now has been taken over by Italian international Matteo Darmian, and he will face a battle to re-claim it, one huge advantage Valencia has over the ex-Torino man is speed, and this could be his saving grace to remain at Old Trafford in the event of Mourinho's arrival.

Valencia's speed advantage over Darmian and versatility could save his spot with Manchester United beyond this season

Although new signing Schweinsteiger has not featured since the team's 1-0 win over Sheffield United on January 9th, he had performed solidly when fit. In his six Champions League appearances, the veteran midfielder had a pass success rate of 86.8 per cent as per WhoScored and hit nearly identical numbers in the Premier League as well.

In addition, the 31-year-old - who will celebrate his 32nd birthday this summer - has shown that he can compete at the highest level and win. A World Cup title with Germany preceded by a Champions League triumph with Bayern Munich is nothing to sniff at and he brings plenty of experience and tactical nous to the side.

Having won the Champions League and World Cup in successive years, Schweinsteiger's class and ability cannot be disputed

The question is: Will it be enough to impress Mourinho? Whilst the Portuguese coach may respect his achievements, his age and recent injury issues could cause his new manager to take pause. Nonetheless, this should not count against the German star and provided that he can resume his same top levels of performance once he returns to action, he certainly will be able to extend his Premier League stay for a while longer. Indeed, it would really be a shock if fans are not seeing Schweinsteiger in a Manchester United kit next season.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old defender Shaw was signed as one for the future and reportedly was of interest to Mourinho before he moved to Manchester United. The former Southampton player has been very unlucky regarding injuries, including a suffering a horrible tackle during a Champions League match last year that broke his leg.

Unfortunate: Shaw has had to miss a large spell of this season following this awful tackle against PSV Eindhoven last September


In his first season with the Red Devils, where he made a total of 15 appearances (including substitutions) his pass completion rate was 86.7 per cent. Proving not to be a one-season wonder, Shaw appeared to be maintaining that same level of solid showings during his first five matches this season prior to his injury. Hence, with time definitely on his side, and having shown that he has quite a bit to offer, one surely will be surprised to see him heading away from Old Trafford this summer.

English international colleagues Young and Jones, however, could be facing different concerns regarding their future with Manchester United. In the case of the former, his versatility, like that of Valencia will provide him with an advantage, as Mourinho is known to like players who can be deployed in a variety of positions.

Like Valencia, Young is a versatile player and this will help him remain in Mourinho's plans for the squad

Before his injury, Young, whose last appearance was on January 17th against Liverpool, featured as a wingback on both sides of the defense as well as an attacking midfielder of sorts. Whilst his tackling abilities oftentimes leave something to be desired, his adventurous forays down the flank and crossing skills saw him pick up two assists, and once the Red Devils can get their attacking options properly sorted out, Young's affinity for bringing the ball out of the back to initiate attacks will surely come in handy.  

As for his Three Lions colleague, Jones - who has been the subject of countless memes on social media due to some of the funny faces he pulls whilst playing - is not so certain. His last showing was on January 2nd against Swansea and despite being just 23 years of age, he has been unable to nail down a consistent spot in the starting XI due to injuries.

Could fans be seeing the last of Jones's funny faces in a Manchester United kit this season?

When fit, he has shown he can definitely contribute to the cause and has been decent in the air as well as on the ground. As per WhoScored, Jones's stats indicate that he made an average of 2.4 tackles and 3.2 interceptions, completed 7.5 clearances, and won 2.3 aerial duels per game during his 22 appearances in the 2014/2015 season.

But given that Rojo can also play as a center-back, Jones's position is not indispensable and he will have to quickly prove his worth before his new manager takes over this summer

Sorry, it's not personal...or is it?

Moving on past the players out due to injuries, one man who certainly will not be too happy with Mourinho's pending arrival is Juan Mata. After all, if someone felt they were treated poorly by a supervisor, departed companies and then only to find that same annoying individual coming to their current firm, they would not be expected to be to thrilled about it.

Oh no, not you again! Don't expect Mata to be leading the welcoming parade should Mourinho arrive at Old Trafford

This could be the case for the Spaniard, who was shipped out shortly after Mourinho's return to Chelsea during the 2013/2014 season. Impressively, Mata's pass success rate has consistently hovered near 90 per cent since his arrival at Old Trafford. And let's not forget the fact that he has contributed four goals and three assists so far in the league (and an additional one goal and two assists in their failed Champions League campaign).

Finally, given that his creative spark in the middle of the park has earned him strong reviews despite the team's disappointing showings, Mata will be a man in demand should he decide to pack his bags this summer. The Red Devils, however, will surely miss his services and fans will hope that a truce can be made between him and his former manager in order to help the team improve their fortunes in the upcoming season.

However, Marouane Fellaini, a relic of David Moyes's era at Old Trafford will be feeling like a square peg in a round hole under Mourinho. The lanky Belgian has not shown to be a reliable option as a defensive midfielder. With players like the experienced duo of Michael Carrick and Schweinsteiger, as well as Morgan Schneiderlin - who as per Squawka has the best passing accuracy on the team (90 per cent) - available to handle that position, he has been used as a back-up striker this season under Van Gaal.

Considering that Mourinho will be handed a massive transfer kitty this summer to bring in reinforcements, he will surely make an upgrade in that department, meaning that likely there will be no room for Fellaini - whether it is in the starting XI or on the bench.

No room for the big man: Fellaini will likely have to look for a new employer this summer

Arrived with big promises...yet has failed to deliver

Finally, another face that may be spending his first - and last - season with Manchester United is Memphis Depay. The 21-year-old was brought in from PSV Eindhoven last summer for £25 million and surprised many when he requested the no. 7 shirt that had been vacated by Angel Di Maria. Why? Well, that special number has been worn by some of the team's most iconic players, including David Beckham, Eric Cantona, and George Best, but it appeared Depay was quite confident in his abilities to emulate the achievements by some of these stars at Old Trafford.

Too much pressure? Depay has struggled under the weight of the famed no. 7 shirt at Manchester United

Flash-forward half a season later and he has now struggled to find playing time under Van Gaal, and his stats do not read for promising reading for his upcoming manager. For starters, Depay has, to date, attempted 35 shots on goal, which is one less than Anthony Martial's 36, again, as per Squawka. The Dutch international has also made 19 appearances, again, one less than Martial, who has made 20 for the Red Devils.

However, unlike his French counterpart, Depay has scored just two goals, whilst Martial has chipped in with six. Now, both are young players, featuring for the first time in arguably the most competitive league in the world, but what could see Depay being shown the door is his overall attitude as his actions off the pitch have garnered more attention than his contributions on it.

So, there we have it. Some players are guaranteed to remain, others will definitely depart, and some will find their futures remaining in question. Whatever the outcome, one thing is certain: fans will expect to see a very different Manchester United - including the personnel - under Mourinho should he, as predicted, arrive at the famed Old Trafford this summer.