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Report: Mourinho planning summer clearout at Manchester United

OLI SCARFF / AFP / Getty

Jose Mourinho wants to reshuffle his Manchester United squad in the summer amid concerns that his ranks lack the quality and experience to challenge domestically and in Europe, ESPN FC's Mark Ogden reports.

United is prepared to sell Luke Shaw, Matteo Darmian, and Andreas Pereira in the close season, according to Ogden, with Chris Smalling, Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial, and Juan Mata also on the potential chopping block. Michael Carrick is retiring at the end of the season, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Daley Blind are likely to leave on free transfers.

Marouane Fellaini has an expiring contract as well, but it's apparently Mourinho's intention to re-sign the Belgian before he walks away from Old Trafford.

Paul Pogba is expected to stay put despite being held out of Mourinho's recent starting lineups. A hamstring injury limited the Frenchman's impact in the early part of the 2017-18 campaign, but issues over his form persist.

To give United a better shot at wresting the Premier League title from crosstown rival Manchester City, Mourinho is reportedly eying Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, Tottenham full-back Danny Rose, Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred, and Chelsea winger Willian.

A deal for Willian would be difficult to complete given the public lashing Chelsea received for selling Nemanja Matic to the Red Devils last summer.

Varane, meanwhile, is a player Mourinho has always liked. The Portuguese gave the defender his senior Madrid debut while coaching Los Blancos in 2011.

United chairman Ed Woodward is believed to have complete trust in Mourinho, with the Independent's Miguel Delaney reporting earlier this month that Woodward would back the manager if he fell out with any of his players.

Mourinho questioned his team's desire and personality after Saturday's 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion - despite securing progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

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