According to reports from The Daily Star, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is ready to sell star centre-back Chris Smalling because he doesn't feature in the Portuguese's long-term plans.

What's the word?

In a rather audacious article, The Daily Star make a string of interesting claims about Mourinho's transfer plans. Whilst the crux of the story centres around the United gaffer's hopes of signing Napoli right-back Elseid Hysaj, in a bid to solve the Red Devils' lack of clarity at No.2, with winger Antonio Valencia mostly filling the void this season, it further suggests that Mourinho is ready to send Smalling and Matteo Darmian 'packing' in the process.

Out of the blue?

Of course, the Smalling claim hasn't taken place in a vacuum. Despite now being expected to be out of action until December with a broken toe, Mourinho not-so-subtly expressed his dissatisfaction at Smalling withdrawing himself from the squad that bagged a 3-1 win over Swansea earlier this month due to injury.

As quoted by The Telegraph, Mourinho said, following the victory;

"There is a difference between the brave, who want to play at any cost, and the ones for whom a little pain can make a difference.

"If I were to speak with the many great football people of this team, they will say they played many times without being 100 per cent. We have players on the pitch with problems. In every sport, how many times do you play and you’re not 100 per cent?"

Would Mourinho really sell him?

Football FanCast aren't quite so convinced. Mourinho may not be seeing eye-to-eye with the England international currently, but he's still Manchester United's best and most commanding centre-back by quite some distance. He's also the most experienced, often donning the captain's armband at United, representing the Three Lions regularly and boasting 155 appearances in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old probably hasn't reached the level many expected when Sir Alex Ferguson prised him away from Fulham back in summer 2010 but parting with him would prove a huge gamble on Mourinho's part - especially with world-class centre-halves in notably short supply at the moment and even the best of the rest being sold at a consequential premium.

We think the Portuguese should be in the market for Smalling's ideal centre-back partner rather than a direct replacement. That being said, Smalling's form has certainly left something to be desired this season, as shown below (courtesy of Squawka).

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