Manchester United know from Jose Mourinho what their squad size has to be in the transfer window

Qualification for the Europa League would not ordinarily be celebrated by Manchester United but it was an added bonus of their sweetest FA Cup triumph in nearly 20 years.

United will generate matchday revenue of around £13.2million from at least four home games as part of the competition's league revamp. Their participation also secures £5.39m in prize money. For their matchgoers, it is four odysseys across the continent.

A dilemma for United now is their squad size. Had they lost to City, they would have had no European football and entered the League Cup in the second round in August.

That last happened ten years ago when the ruthless Louis van Gaal initiated a mass squad cull. Six incomings were offset by umpteen outgoings. Patrice Evra, Danny Welbeck, Shinji Kagawa, Bebe, Alex Buttner, Michael Keane, Nani, Javier Hernandez, Wilfried Zaha and Tom Cleverley all left either permanently or on loan.

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United needed a smaller squad to contend with a reduced schedule. Van Gaal was so undeterred by the humiliating 4-0 drubbing at League One MK Dons in the second round he delayed congratulating manager Karl Robinson to sign autographs for nearby fans. Five of the United starters were gone by the end of the month.

United took a leap into the unknown in 2014. It was the first time they had failed to qualify for the Champions League in 19 years and the parsimonious Glazer family allowed Ed Woodward to throw money at the problem with a record summer investment of £152m.

Financial fair play was not a concern for United back then so players were given away for tuppence back. It is now. United are open to offers for the majority of their squad members. Anyone whose contract has a final expiry date of 2025 (Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof and Hannibal Mejbri) may as well put their properties up for sale now.

European participation means United have to maintain a sizeable squad. That is a delicate balancing act that Jose Mourinho agonised over in the 2016-17 season when he banished Bastian Schweinstiger to the reserves.

Mourinho assembled a 26-man senior squad, upped to 27 after Schweinsteiger was recalled in late October. Come December, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin knocked on Mourinho's door to request a transfer in the winter window.

In one of a handful of instances where United negotiated impressive sales, Schneiderlin was sold to Everton for a fee rising to £24m and Depay moved to Lyon in a £21.7m deal. Neither were replaced as Mourinho had a 25-strong squad.

Schweinsteiger then travelled across the Atlantic to the MLS retirement home in March. Almost as soon as Schweinsteiger took off, United suffered an injury crisis and Matty Willock was on the bench against West Brom. Four players watched on at the Europa League final in Stockholm on crutches and there were full debuts for Axel Tuanzebe, Scott McTominay, Joel Pereira, Demetri Mitchell and Josh Harrop in the run-in.

Excluding those out of contract next month, United have two goalkeepers, eight defenders, nine midfielders and eight forwards. That's the same number Mourinho settled on with Schweinsteiger.

Selling is as integral as buying in United's first summer under the control of Ineos, whoever the manager is. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has Mourinho's number, should he require any pointers.

United will need ample cover and Erik ten Hag has flagged a lack of quality in depth, despite naming his four most-expensive signings on the bench at Wembley (Casemiro withdrew at the 11th hour).

United have budgeted for three significant additions. That is logical in an ideal, injury-free world: a partner for Lisandro Martinez, a partner for Kobbie Mainoo and a new attacker to supplement Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.

Wan-Bissaka and Lindelof both figured in Saturday's final and United already needed a new full back and second centre back on account of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia's time on the treatment table, as well as the departure of Raphael Varane. Jonny Evans is due to discuss a possible renewal in the coming weeks but left back Brandon Williams is expected to be released, having not made a start for United in three years.

Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat have possibly played their final games for United. Ditto Christian Eriksen. Donny van de Beek (remember him?) has reunited with his former agent, Guido Albers, and will be released next year if he is not sold this year. So an additional midfielder is essential.

In the frontline, only Garnacho and Hojlund are guaranteed to stay. Amad is a talent worth investing in but United must seek buyers for loanees Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Facundo Pellistri. All three are sellable. Antony and Marcus Rashford face uncertain futures. Anthony Martial's overdue departure makes a centre forward a must.

United paraded seven signings last summer, a record for pre-season business. A similar number is required to commence another squad rebuild and they have the leverage with the contracts of two high earners about to be shredded. There is a market for others under contract after United's uplifting finale.

Even though they are back in the Europa.