Manchester United transfer news: Jose Mourinho to offload first-team quartet in bid to trim squad

Mourinho is keen to work with a smaller squad for the rest of the season

Darmian and Depay have failed to impress since joining last summer (Getty)

Jose Mourinho could axe four first-team players in January as he looks to trim his Manchester United squad.

Mourinho is currently working with a squad of 23 outfield players, excluding outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger, plus the three goalkeepers, David De Gea, Sergio Romero and Sam Johnstone.

This number is a larger one than he is normally used to working with in his previous managerial stints at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

As a result, a number of players’ places are under threat when the transfer window reopens again in January.

While Wayne Rooney’s future remains unclear after being dropped from both the Manchester United and England starting line-ups, Mourinho is not going to push him out of the squad as is keen for him to stay.

However, Morgan Schneiderlin, who was brought in at the start of last season by Louis van Gaal, is free to leave in the new year according to the Sun, after only featuring four times this season (only two of which were from the start).

Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin were signed together in 2015 (Getty)

Schweinsteiger, who was brought in within days of Schneiderlin by Van Gaal, is expected to negotiate a transfer to the United States when the MLS transfer window reopens.

Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian have both also been linked with moves away from the club having failed to impress Mourinho in the opportunities he has given them this season.

Darmian has been linked with a return to Italy with Inter Milan, while Depay could also move to Serie A with a potential loan move to Roma on the cards.