Jose Mourinho is set to strip Wayne Rooney as Manchester United captain – and already has Micheal Carrick, Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba as replacement prospects.

Rooney will be out of contract next summer and Manchester United are happy for him to leave in this transfer window having spent the majority of last season on the bench.

The 31 year old’s future has been under huge speculation and has been linked with moves away from Old trafford, including a return to Everton and a switch to the Chinese Super League.

Portuguese born manager Jose Mourinho has already began to deliberate over the various possibilities of handing over captaincy responsibilities to either Carrick, Herrera or Pogba.

A source said: “Wayne is facing losing the captaincy next season if he stays.

“He is out of contract next year. Jose is already thinking about who to delegate the squad responsibilities to.

“There’s a few obvious names in the frame with Michael being at the club for so long and Paul a leader at the club.

“Wayne had hardly any game time last year and the feeling around the camp is it is his time to leave after a great service.

“It’s the elephant in the room at Carrington, will Wazza still be captain if he’s here next season?

“He’s obviously a club legend and still holds a lot of sway with the lads but the backroom staff have seen a few leaders emerging after last season.”

United’s squad is set to fly out for their US tour on July 9, with Wayne Rooney expected to be included on the team list.