Manchester United are considering letting Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Wilfried Zaha go out on loan, as Louis Van Gaal is willing to give the trio an opportunity to get first team football elsewhere before deciding whether to part ways with them permanently or not.
The Mirror today reports that while all three players could leave between now and the end of the transfer window, their future remains unclear at the moment.
Reports emerged on Friday that Van Gaal had told Welbeck he was surplus to requirements, a somewhat surprising decision given the England international represents the sort of hardworking forward the Dutchman likes. The Longsight-born striker had already attracted interest from Hull City, with Steve Bruce reportedly ready to offer £12m for the United striker, but the Tigers look to have pulled out of the race leaving Sunderland in pole position among the clubs interested in Welbeck.
Zaha, meanwhile, has long been linked with a return to Crystal Palace or a move to Newcastle United or QPR. The former Palace man has struggled since arriving at Old Trafford last season, but the Mirror suggests he’s been told by Van Gaal that he has a future at the club and that he’ll be sold only if he wants to.
The situation surrounding Cleverley is altogether more complicated, for while the midfielder is not short of critics, United’s options in the engine room have grown even thinner with injuries to Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera. The majority of United fans would love to see Cleverley move to another club – Everton were thought to be considering a move for the 25-year-old but the boat has passed – but United can’t afford to let him go, unless they want to rely solely on Anderson and Marouane Fellaini
