Four to leave, one to stay? United in contract decisions

An exclusive report from Goal suggests that Manchester United are set to part ways with a number of their experienced players, as manager David Moyes looks to stamp his authority on the struggling Reds. The report states that Moyes will allow Rio Ferdinand , Nemanja Vidic , Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs to all leave Old Trafford, though the future of Welshman Giggs appears to be more likely to end in staying at United than the other three. Ferdinand , now 34, has been a mainstay at Manchester United since his

£30m move from Leeds United in 2002, and has been one of the finest English defenders of the last decade. However, he is starting to make more mistakes, and with the former West Ham United defender reportedly eyeing a move to America in the MLS, it seems Moyes will allow Ferdinand to run down his contract, which expires at the end of this season. His long-time defensive partner Vidic , who recently turned 32, is also out of contract in 2014, and with a number of injury issues plaguing him – just 25 starts in the last two Premier League seasons – it appears to be the right time to part ways and seek replacements in the heart of defence. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans have all displayed their qualities at the position sporadically, but with Benfica's Ezequiel Garay , Andrea Ranocchia of Inter Milan and Eliaquim Mangala of Porto all linked with moves to Old Trafford, it certainly seems that Moyes is already lining up replacements. Meanwhile, full back Evra is almost certainly heading for the exit door, stating that there are personal reasons preventing him from extending his stay at United. "It is not that Manchester United do not want me to sign a new contract. This whole thing is personal', said Evra "Manchester United would like me to finish my career there, but this is something personal." Whilst the 32 year old did not elaborate on what those personal reasons are, it is widely speculated that he will return to former club Monaco, and will now trigger Moyes into an even bigger push to sign his left back at Everton, Leighton Baines , in January. The case of Giggs is somewhat different, as at almost 40 years old he focusing on a player- coach role, but with the Welshman now fairly ineffectual in any position, it's time to end his playing days and concentrate on bringing through the younger players. It's reported that United will check on Giggs' fitness before offering him another year of playing, but it may be time to bring the curtain down on his glittering career. It seems the only player over the age of 30 set to stay at Old Trafford is midfielder Michael Carrick , who remains an influential part of the United midfield. With so many of the old guard set to leave, it looks like David Moyes will have a lot of work to do in order to replace a group of players who won so many trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson.