Man Utd Transfers: 7 Players Louis Van Gaal Needs To Get Rid Of Today

6. Chris Smalling

Another defensive casualty we could see today as van Gaal prepares to overhaul is porous defence is Chris Smalling. Manchester United have conceded seven goals in their last three games and it's clear changes need to be made, with Smalling being singled out for criticism in particular. Smalling arrived at Old Trafford from Fulham back in 2010 to much fanfare and was seen as a future star in the making. But four years on he has still to deliver on his potential and hardly instils confidence at the back. The England international has a panicky air about him and is too often an accident waiting to happen, with his passing poor and his tendency to drift out of position making him a liability. To be fair, he was largely played out of position during the Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes administrations, with the duo playing him at right-back at times, but successor van Gaal has deployed him at his favoured centre-back position over the last few weeks and he has done little to suggest he deserves to play there full-time. Arsenal made an offer to take Smalling off United's hands earlier this summer in a proposed switch which would have seen Thomas Vermaelen head the other way, and van Gaal's reluctance to do so is baffling considering Vermaelen is exactly the type of player United need right now, while Smalling continues to struggle.