Bastian Schweinsteiger to lead nine-player exodus as Manchester United clear-out begins

Bastian Schweinsteiger is set to lead a major exodus from Manchester United as Jose Mourinho begins his clear-out ahead of the start of the new campaign in just over two weeks time. The Portuguese manager is keen to trim down his squad to an ideal 24 first-team players and thus will allow a number of players to leave either on loan or on a permanent basis this summer.

According to The Times, Mourinho is set to axe nine players from his squad before the start of the season and this includes both regular first-team and fringe players. Schweinsteiger is the biggest casualty of the clear-out, with Adnan Januzaj, Paddy McNair, Will Keane, James Wilson, TylerBlackett, Andreas Pereira, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Timothy Fosu-Mensah set to join the Germany international via the exit doors at Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old German midfielder had an injury plagued debut campaign in the Premier League making just 13 appearances all season, with just two coming since the turn of the year. He is unlikely to get regular football this campaign and with Paul Pogba's potential arrival, United are well stocked in midfield this season. Paris Saint-Germain have shown interest in signing the midfielder, while there has also been interest from clubs in Germany.

Januzaj is also facing an uncertain future at the club after failing to nail down a regular starting place in the starting lineup following his debut under former manager David Moyes during the 2013/14 campaign. He was sent out on loan last season to Borussia Dortmund, which was cut short after four months when he made just six substitute appearances in the first-half of the season. The Red Devils are well stocked in the attacking department and the club will have to decide if they send him out on a temporary basis or on a permanent deal with Sunderland, who are now being managed by Moyes, interested in signing him.

Blackett, McNair, Keane and Wilson, on the other hand are likely to be allowed to leave on a permanent basis after failing to establish themselves in the first-team in recent seasons. The former spent last season on loan at Celtic and has reportedly been informed that he can leave the club this summer.

McNair is also not part of the manager's plans after falling down the pecking order in the fight for a place at centre-back and right-back. The Northern Ireland international was a key player during Louis van Gaal's first season at the club, but was sparingly used last season.

Wilson made his debut in 2013/14 under interim manager Ryan Giggs, and went on to play 13 times in the Premier League under Van Gaal the following season, but the previous season saw him again drop out of contention and was overtaken by Marcus Rashford in the second half of the season while he was out on loan. Keane, meanwhile, made his debut last season, but with Anthony Martial, Rashford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney at Mourinho's disposal he is likely to be offloaded as well.

Pereira, Fosu-Mensah and Borthwick-Jackson, however, are rated by the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager and will only be allowed to leave on a temporary basis in order to get regular first-team football. The former is a creative midfielder, who thrives in the No 10 role, but with Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryanand Rooney ahead of him, he will not get regular game time at Old Trafford.

The Brazilian midfielder is keen to play first-team football and will likely accept a loan deal. Reigning champions Leicester City pondering a move yet again after they failed with a loan move midway through last season.

Defensive duo Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson made their debuts under Van Gaal last season and put in some impressive performances in the Premier League and FA Cup. The duo are highly-rated at the club, but with a number of players ahead of them, Mourinho is keen to ship the full backs out on a temporary basis for them to garner further first-team experience.