The Manchester United fans have been rather dejected in the Transfer Tavern recently after they took a huge blow in their pursuit of the Premier League title.

Indeed, the Red Devils lining up our bar have been drowning their sorrows this week after being outclassed by Manchester City last weekend. Prior to the Manchester derby, United were only 8 points behind the league-leaders and they had a fantastic opportunity to close the gap in a mouth-watering 6-pointer clash at the top of the table. But Jose Mourinho’s side were simply outclassed on the day and suffered their first defeat at Old Trafford since City’s previous visit in September 2016.

United’s Daley Blind was once again left out of Mourinho’s match-day squad for their clash against City – his fifth omission in the Premier League this season.

His lack of involvement this campaign has prompted rather surprising interest from FC Barcelona, according to reports in Marca. 

Blind began the campaign as United’s first-choice left-back and completed 90 minutes in their first three league fixtures, but he has endured a rather torrid season since the opening month.

The former Ajax man has been involved in just one minute of Premier League action since United’s victory over Leicester at the end of August, and on that evidence alone his career with the Red Devils looks all but over.

To further compound matters, Blind’s contract is set to expire in 2018, so he will be available to speak to Barcelona and any other interested club from outside of the English top-flight from January 1st.

Unless there is a major transformation in Mourinho’s mindset in the very near future, Blind will certainly be on his way out of Old Trafford by the end of the season.

And Blind may not be the only man leaving the club in 2018, as the quality of United’s squad will naturally command interest from plenty of Europe’s top clubs.

With that being said, here are two players who could follow Blind out of Manchester United.

Marcus Rashford

There is arguably no other departure from the club that would break the hearts of the Red Devils quite like the sale of Marcus Rashford, but his frightening performances this season will be capturing the attention of Europe’s heavyweights.

Every time Rashford gets the ball in United red or England white, the fans immediately anticipate that something decisive and exciting is about to happen.

His ability to both entertain and effectively create is truly staggering at times, and at just 20-years-old, United’s academy product already looks set for a special career.

It would certainly take an astronomical fee to prize him away from Old Trafford, but there are surely plenty of clubs across Europe who have the financial backing to secure his signature.

Ander Herrera

United’s Spanish midfield general is another player that The Red Devils faithful would be reluctant to see leave the club.

However, Herrera’s contract is also set to expire in June 2018, and it seems unclear as to whether United’s hierarchy are willing to offer him an extension at this stage.

So far this season, the former Athletic Bilbao star has yet to firmly establish himself as a first-team regular, which suggests Mourinho may not be interested in extending his current deal.

Herrera has shown on plenty of occasions that he can dominate and control the centre of midfield, and his obvious qualities will certainly be attracting interest from clubs across Europe when he enters the final 6 months of his contract in January.