Manchester United fell short of their expectations in the Premier League, finishing sixth, but the Red Devils still have a chance of advancing through to the Champions League next season if they beat Ajax in this week’s Europa League final.

The Red Devils stand as favourites to lift the trophy in Stockholm this week, which would add to the League Cup crown United already won back in February, but the club is well aware a lot of improvements need to be made in the post-season.

Manchester United continue to be linked to an array of top-class players ahead of the summer transfer window, including the likes of Antoine Griezmann and James Rodriguez, but the most difficult task will likely surround finding a replacement for Wayne Rooney.

United’s veteran captain has seen his performances drop significantly in recent years but his importance to Manchester United over the past decade cannot be overlooked, with the England skipper standing as the club’s all-time leading scorer.

Whilst Manchester United may be able to get by on the field, especially with additions like Griezmann and Rodriguez, it’s Rooney’s influence and experience behind the scenes that will be extremely difficult for Jose Mourinho to replace.

The likely exit of Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer will also hit Manchester United hard and the more experienced players in their squad, which include Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini, all have uncertain futures at Old Trafford.

A fresh new side is being developed at Manchester United but Mourinho, who doesn’t have a decent record of getting the best out of young players, may struggle to keep the club stable without the vast experience the aforementioned players can provide.

Mourinho will need players like Ander Herrera, Marcos Rojo and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to step-up but that trio, and other older players, have often struggled to find consistency and relying upon them next season is a dangerous move.

United’s potential signings this summer are including an array of younger players and it doesn’t look like the Red Devils will replace the experience they’ll be losing in the summer window, which could hit them hard ahead of next season.

The transitional period Manchester United are currently enduring has put the club in a testing position and they’ll need stable heads to drag them out and push them towards further glory- which may be difficult to achieve without the level heads that experienced players provide.

There’s certainly a large gap in Manchester United’s squad age-wise, as the Red Devils lack players that are between 24-26 years-old, instead having an array of players younger and older than that age bracket.