Manchester United have five transfer decisions to make after loan moves

When the next Manchester United manager finally takes the keys to his office, he will find items pilling up in his in-tray and a lot of them will concern the future of players in his squad; from the senior players whose contracts are up, to those who have been out on loan and now want to know where they stand.

It seems pretty clear that Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani will be leaving the club when their contracts expire in the summer, but the decisions over those returning from loan spells will be more nuanced.

There are plenty coming back who have had loan spells to aid their development and some of them — notably James Garner — will get the chance to prove they can play a part in the first-team squad next season. But there are probably five senior players who have had loans away this season and will now either expect to be part of the new manager's squad, or be granted permission to leave.

READ MORE: Pogba has sent a warning to next Manchester United manager

Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial joined Everton and Sevilla in January loans that didn't include options to make the moves permanent, with the final decision resting with whoever takes charge this summer. But so far neither is making a compelling case to suggest their long-term future is at Old Trafford.

Then there are the academy players who are at an age where development has stopped and they need to be playing. Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe and Tahith Chong might have difficult decisions to make this summer.

To start with the more senior players, Van de Beek has started five Premier League games for Everton and he's at least put to bed the theory that physically he isn't capable of playing in the top flight. But while he is getting