Ashley Young to leave United this January, confirms Jose Mourinho, but Bastian Schweinsteiger set to stay

Mourinho gave updates on the players' futures at the club in the wake of United's 4-0 victory over Wigan but offered no reassurances over captain Wayne Rooney

Young looks set to be the third player to leave United in this January transfer window (Getty)

Jose Mourinho expects Ashley Young to be the third player to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window - but made it clear that Bastian Schweinsteiger would be staying put following his man-of-match performance against Wigan on Sunday afternoon.

The United manager also gave no reassurances about Wayne Rooney’s future at Old Trafford.

Mourinho was specifically asked about Rooney, who is coveted by several Chinese clubs, but said the only player who would be leaving before January 31 was Young. The deadline for the Chinese Super League is February 28.

“Ashley is a player I would love to keep. I am not happy he is leaving,” said Mourinho, although since Young last started a Premier League fixture on November 6, he has long been surplus to his manager’s requirements. He has been linked with moves to Everton, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham and Watford – as well as China.

Interestingly, on the day Sir Bobby Charlton presented Rooney with a golden boot to mark the passing of his Manchester United goalscoring record, Mourinho did not give any indication that he wanted his captain to stay.

He was, however, effusive about Bastian Schweinsteiger, who scored Manchester United’s final goal in the 4-0 defeat of Wigan in the FA Cup, which was his first start in more than a year.

“Yes, he is staying,” said Mourinho of Schweinsteiger. “He is going on to the Europa League list because, with the sale of Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin, there are spaces open. We don’t have many players and we don’t have many options in midfield. Ninety minutes was probably too hard for him.

“I think he is happy now and he was a good professional when he was not playing and with so many competitions and games he will be an option.”

That Schweinsteiger has stayed at Manchester United owes as much to the inability of the club to find anyone who will match his wages of £200,000 a week as to his professionalism. However, the climax to Manchester United’s season will be an exhausting one and Mourinho lashed out at the way the English fixture list was compiled.

“We are in four competitions but the Premier League is almost an impossible mission,” he said. “In the League Cup we have a 50 per cent chance of winning it and in the FA Cup we are in the last 16 and in the Europa League in the last 32, so there are lots of matches to play.

“We are going to have some nice gifts,” he added sarcastically. “Watford had an amazing gift. They played today in the FA Cup and they have to play on Tuesday in the Premier League. You have to laugh. How is this possible? It is absolute nonsense.”

Mourinho also confirmed that Bastian Schweinsteiger would be staying put at United (Getty)

Manchester United could pay 67 games this season. “Liverpool will play 16 more matches,” said Mourinho. “Chelsea will play 16 more matches plus some in the FA Cup and we are in this really crazy situation.

“Southampton will have 15 days without football before the League Cup final. We are going to play two matches against St Etienne and in the next round of the FA Cup. The calendar in the best country in world football is nonsense.”