Top five: Players Manchester United should sell in January

Is Nani heading for the exit door at Old Trafford? 

Manchester United - some critics would lead you to believe - are in need of a clear out.

A number of players have failed to produce the form that a club such as United
demands on a consistent basis.

By their standards United have had a poor start to the season, some of which can be blamed on the change of manager but the players themselves need to take responsibility as well.

And with these underperforming stars thus far detrmimental to United's hopes, should they be shown the door?

Nani -

The Portuguese star has had a poor season so far.

Some of his displays have been nothing short of inept.

Despite having skill in abundance he is attracting criticism from his own United faithful for his inability to provide good service to United's frontmen.

He can be accused of trying too hard to redeem himself at times which leads to more mistakes.

He has proved lightweight sometimes in possession which is unforgivable from a supporters point of view.

He now has the added problem of youngster Adnan Januzaj who is breathing down
his neck for a starting place after some very impressive displays.

Moyes is giving him every chance to succeed but his patience must surely be running out.

Kagawa -

Continuing the theme of midfielders, Kagawa has not made the impact at United
that he, or United, would have wished for.

Played out of position during many of his appearances, the former Dortmund player craves the number 10 role but is unable to oust Wayne Rooney.

United need the midfielder to be more consistent and flexible in his performances, but recent
games have highlighted how lightweight the Japanese player can be as he has
fails to adapt to the English Premier League.

Rumours around his return to Dortmund being imminent may well be close to the mark.

Cleverley -

Despite him being an England player, and expectations of him high, the youngster appears to have gone backwards after starting his career at Manchester United with some impressive, positive displays.

Against Stoke City Cleverley was far too tentative in his approach and time after time he was
guilty of wasting possession allowing Stoke to counter which exposed his defence.

Although Cleverley has time on his side Moyes may decide to cut his losses as United look towards signing a world-class proven midfielder to dictate the game.

Anderson -

The Brazilian has never been able to firmly hold down a midfield role at Old
Trafford despite numerous opportunities.

Injuries have not helped but clearly Moyes, with the addition of Fellaini, does not see Anderson as a first choice.

The exit door beckons for a player who could grace most Premier League teams but United crave more than the midfielder can offer.

Ferdinand -

Despite a decade of service to the Red Devils, Ferdinand is entering the
twilight of his career.

Injuries have taken their toll on Ferdinand and despite his decision to retire from international duty he is still plagued by niggles and in need of breaks from the game.

His formidable partnership with Vidic looks to be in the past and his huge wage bill may well persuade David Moyes to sell.

There are others in the United squad who need games to further their careers - Evans, Jones and Smalling - so Moyes could be tempted to part company with the a player who will go down in United's history as one of the best
.