Unbeaten in their last 16 matches in all competitions, Manchester United supporters in the Football Transfer Tavern will certainly be content with how things are going for their club right now, and will be pleased that some of the fringe members of the squad have been offloaded during the January transfer window.

The departures of Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay to Everton and Lyon respectively have brought in some respectable transfer fees – although the fans standing at the bar would have been disappointed that they didn’t at least see more from the latter – and the latest United player to be linked with a move away this month is winger Ashley Young.

The former England international is the latest in a long line of players from Europe that is said to be interesting a club from the Chinese Super League – Shandong Luneng, who already own former Premier League stars Papiss Cisse and Graziano Pelle – in what could turn out to be a very lucrative deal for the 31-year-old, and potentially the Red Devils too – the landlord would agree that it’s time for the wide man to go.

Here are THREE reasons why United must let Young leave for pastures new in China…

He’s not in Jose’s plans

Whereas the likes of another China target – Diego Costa – is a key man for Chelsea, Young is anything but at Old Trafford – the fans standing at the bar certainly wouldn’t be too sad to see him go.

The 31-year-old has struggled to hold down a regular first team spot ever since making the move from Aston Villa in 2011, and has made 10 appearances under Jose Mourinho this term – with the majority of those coming in an unfamiliar right-back role.

Because of his age and how he doesn’t fit in with the big-name side that Mourinho appears to be trying to create after bringing the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club during the summer, there is no future for him with the Red Devils – it’s a no-brainer for the landlord as United look to progress.

He isn’t getting any younger

While he may be a good stand-in player in the full-back positions or on the wing, or maybe even an impact player from the bench on occasion, at 31 years of age Young isn’t getting any younger and it is getting to a point where Jose Mourinho would rather give an opportunity to individuals who have a long-term future at Old Trafford – the fans in the tavern know this has to happen if United are to return to the glory days.

There is no doubt that the former Aston Villa man has been a good and loyal servant for the Red Devils since 2011 – not even the landlord can disagree with that – but now might be the right time for United to sell him to a Chinese Super League club.

Transfer fee

After spending £17m on the winger in 2011, it is rumoured that United could recoup around £10m of that if they were to sell Young to a Chinese Super League club – not a bad amount for a player that has struggled to hold down a first team spot during his career at Old Trafford, and one that the supporters in the tavern would be more than satisfied with.

After spending a world-record fee on Paul Pogba among others in the summer, Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho will be keen to bring some money in by selling some of his fringe players, and the chance to sell a 31-year-old for good money could be too good an opportunity to miss – the landlord certainly thinks they should bite their hand off if they can get that fee!