‘Missing piece of jigsaw needed’ – Three things learnt from Manchester United’s 2016/17 campaign

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Questions to be resolved over the summer

Although there is a good spine of the Manchester United side that are clearly going to be part of Jose Mourinho’s future plans next year, there are still a lot of futures that need sorting out this summer.

Anthony Martial, Wayne Rooney and David de Gea are the main names that come to mind going into the upcoming window, and it’s a waiting game to see if they will remain at the club for next season.

In the case of the 20-year-old French forward, he endured a frustrating opening half to the season with very few opportunities but, due to the strain on United’s squad due to their European adventures, he’s been given more consistent first-team football as resources have become stretched.

Yet the story of his season has been showing promise in the final third, and showing a willingness to take on defenders, but the end product – whether that be a pass or finish – is lacking somewhat.

With the likes of Rashford, Lingard, Juan Mata, Mkhitaryan and now the young Josh Harrop competing for wide spots it’s possible that Martial will want to move on in search of regular football.

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is another conundrum that Mourinho needs to sort out over the next few months; despite making 25 appearances – scoring five times – he has always been on the periphery this year and after 13 years of service at Old Trafford his time could soon come to an end.

The reception he got at Old Trafford after being taken off with just minutes left of the victory over Crystal Palace on the final day perhaps hinted that both he – and Mourinho – know that his time is up.

Whereas these players could be set for potential exits due to the lack of impact they have brought to the side this season, Spanish sensation David de Gea could finally be set for the move to La Liga champions Real Madrid that allegedly fell through two years ago amidst a desire to return to Spain.

Arriving from Atletico Madrid six years ago, the 26-year-old has been a consistently stand-out player for United but – with a record transfer fee for a goalkeeper of £65 million being reported in the Daily Express in recent days – his days as Manchester United number one could also become numbered.