Ethan Laird became the second Manchester United academy graduate to leave the club in this summer's transfer window for an undisclosed fee on Friday, joining Birmingham City.
The right-back has joined the Championship outfit on a three-year deal, bringing his long-term spell at Old Trafford to an end. He has followed Zidane Iqbal in leaving the club on a permanent basis, following the Iraq international's switch to FC Utrecht at the start of this week.
Despite offering plenty of promise, either in United's youth system and out on loan, there was no clear path to the first-team for either of them, meaning permanent departures were in the best interests of all parties. They will both now be hoping to enjoy lucrative careers and earn regular game-time elsewhere.
Iqbal made just one senior appearance for United, that being awarded to him by Ralf Rangnick in December 2021, while Laird made two appearances for the club, both being handed to him by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in 2019.
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With that said, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what has happened to each of the 16 academy graduates that were awarded first-team debuts by Solskjaer during his time in charge at Old Trafford.
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Tahith Chong
Chong made his United debut in January 2019, stepping off the bench in the second half of a 2-0 FA Cup third round win over Reading at Old Trafford. He made a total of 16 first-team appearances for the club before sealing a permanent exit on the final day of last summer's transfer window, joining Birmingham, where he had impressed on loan in 2021/22.
James Garner
Garner was awarded his Reds debut by Solskjaer at the age of just 17 in February 2019. It was one of just seven first-team appearances he made for the club before joining Everton on a permanent deal last summer, for whom he has so far made 17 appearances.
Mason Greenwood
Greenwood made his debut for United on an unforgettable night in Paris against Paris Saint-Germain in March 2019. He has since made 129 appearances for the club but currently remains under an internal investigation at Old Trafford and hasn't played since January 2022.
Brandon Williams
Left-back Williams made his United debut when Rochdale visited Old Trafford for a League Cup tie in September 2019. That marked his first of 51 appearances for the club either side of a loan spell at Norwich City in 2021/22, but he is highly likely to leave on a permanent deal this summer after a forgettable 2022/23 campaign.
Di'Shon Bernard
Solskjaer handed Bernard his United debut against Astana in the Europa League in November 2019 - an evening that saw him net an own-goal in a 2-1 defeat. He was recently released by the Reds and is being heavily linked with a move to Portsmouth, who borrowed him on loan from United in the second half of last season.
Ethan Laird
Laird was given his United debut the same night as Bernard, starting in a back-four that also featured the recently released Axel Tuanzebe and Luke Shaw. The right-back had four loan spells during his United career ahead of finalising a permanent switch to Birmingham, where he will be hoping to settle down and kick-on.
Dylan Levitt
Levitt was also given his United debut in Kazakhstan against Astana, producing a polished performance in the engine room. Despite that, he never played for the Reds at first-team level again and he joined Scottish side Dundee United on a permanent basis last summer, following a successful loan spell in 2021/22.
D'Mani Mellor
The trip to Astana was a popular night for debuts to be handed out, as Solskjaer also handed Mellor his first taste of first-team football in United colours. That was his one and only appearance for the club and he is now on the books of Wycombe Wanderers.
Largie Ramazani
Arguably the forgotten member of the players that made their debuts against Astana, Belgian winger Ramazani, who stepped off the bench that evening, also never played for the Reds again. He left Old Trafford in June 2020 and joined Spanish side UD Almeria, for whom he still plays for.
Ethan Galbraith
Midfielder Galbraith also made his United debut in the aforementioned trip to Kazakhstan and then never played for the first-team again. Following loan spells at Doncaster Rovers and Salford City, he was released by United last month and was snapped up by League One new boys Leyton Orient earlier this week.
Teden Mengi
One of the very few players to be handed a first-team debut by Solskjaer that is still at Old Trafford, Mengi made his first appearance for the club at first-team level in August 2020. He has only made one further appearance and could find himself either sold or sent out on loan this summer after a difficult 2022/23 campaign because of injury.
Dean Henderson
The most high-profile academy graduate to have been handed his United debut by Solskjaer, Henderson is looking increasingly likely to leave Old Trafford this summer and return to Nottingham Forest on a permanent basis. The 26-year-old has made 29 first-team appearances for United, the most recent of which came in February 2022 against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
Shola Shoretire
Solskjaer handed Shoretire his United debut at the age of just 17, stepping off the bench against Newcastle United in February 2021. He has since made four further appearances for the club and spent the second half of last season on loan at Bolton Wanderers, where he made 16 appearances, scoring one goal. It remains to be seen what will happen with his future this summer.
Anthony Elanga
After being handed his senior debut by Solskjaer towards the end of the Covid-hit 2020/21 campaign, Elanga blossomed under Rangnick in the second half of the 2021/22 season. However, opportunities dried up under Erik ten Hag and he could be offloaded this summer as United attempt to trim their wide options.
Hannibal Mejbri
Tunisian international Mejbri was awarded his United debut on the final day of the 2020/21 Premier League season, stepping off the bench against Wolves at Molineux. He has only played twice for the club since and Borussia Dortmund are interested in a permanent move for his signature this summer after he spent last term on loan at Birmingham.
Will Fish
The 16th and final academy graduate to be handed a debut by Solskjaer, Fish made just one appearance under the Norwegian and that remains his only competitive appearance for United. The defender, who went on last summer's pre-season tour, spent last season on loan at Scottish side Hibernian and a decision on the next stage in his development is yet to be made.
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