Jose Mourinho reportedly orders Ed Woodward to sell Manchester United midfield pair

Although it's far from definite that Jose Mourinho will become the next Manchester United manager, the British press aren't doing anything to halt the relentless speculation.

On Wednesday, several papers printed similar stories claiming that Mourinho had told friends he expected to be in charge at Old Trafford by the start of next season. A day later, and details of the changes Mourinho intends to make to the United squad are being splashed across the morning papers. According to the Daily Mail, the Portuguese will begin a 'ruthless purge' of the United squad, with Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini tipped for the exit door. Mourinho sanctioned Mata's switch to United when in charge at Chelsea, despite the Spaniard being named in the 2013 PFA team of the year and being a firm favourite amongst the fans at Stamford Bridge. Mata is also a popular figure at Old Trafford, and any decision to sell him wouldn't help ingratiate Mourinho with United's supporters. Fellaini, despite starting plenty of games under Louis van Gaal, is also expected to be sold, three years after joining the club for £27m from Everton. According to the same report, Mourinho has met with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and told him to sell the midfield pair. United travel to Sunderland on Saturday, hoping to gain ground on the Premier League's top four.