With just over two months remaining, it's already been a disaster of a season for Manchester United.
The March international break has now begun and United find themselves four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, while the north London club also have one game in hand. United have nine games still to play in the Premier League this term, but their hopes of securing Champions League football were slashed this weekend following Arsenal's 1-0 won over Aston Villa.
United will end the season having had three different managers. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in October, Michael Carrick was placed in caretaker charge of the club and Ralf Rangnick was soon appointed on an interim basis. Ahead of the end of the campaign and the summer transfer window, the MEN have taken a look at the 16 players Solskjaer let go during his reign.
ALSO READ: Manchester United might need to repeat 2016 transfer window instead of 2019.
Ander Herrera
After spending five years with United, Herrera achieved cult hero status at Old Trafford. The Spaniard was tenacious when playing in the centre of midfield for United and never hid away from a challenge.
Herrera left United on a free transfer in July 2019, joining PSG on a five-year contract, and he started in the 2020 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
The 32-year-old has made 26 appearances for PSG this season.
Antonio Valencia
Valencia won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three Community Shields and the Europa League in his decade spent with United.
The former United captain was outstanding for the club at right-back, but it was the correct decision from Solskjaer to allow him to leave on a free at the end of the 2018/19 season.
After being released by United, Valencia signed for Ecuadorian club LDU Quito. He has since moved on, though, and at 35-years-old he last played for Querétaro in Mexico before making the decision to retire last year.
"Wigan was a unique experience, and then God gave me the opportunity to join Manchester United. I will never forget everything I experienced at Old Trafford," Valencia said when announcing his retirement.
"I will never forget every goal, every trophy and the wonderful fans."
Romelu Lukaku
Perhaps the one that got away, Lukaku thrived at Inter Milan after leaving United for £74m in August 2019, further enhancing his reputation as one of Europe’s finest strikers.
Lukaku scored a total of 64 goals in 95 appearances for Inter, surpassing his United goal haul despite playing fewer times for the Italian club, and he fired Inter to the Serie A title last season, helping end their 11-year wait for the Scudetto.
The Belgian returned to Chelsea in the summer and he's not scaled the same heights since, scoring just 12 goals this season.
Alexis Sanchez
The signing of Sanchez is one of the most underwhelming transfers United have made in the last decade.
The Chilean promised so much yet delivered so little. Sanchez scored just five goals for United, looking a shadow of the player that Arsenal sold and, after a loan spell at Inter Milan for the 2019/20 season, Sanchez joined the Italian outfit permanently.
Sanchez still plays for Inter and he's scored seven goals this campaign.
Matteo Darmian
It’s incredible Darmian spent four years with United - a damning indictment of the club’s recruitment at the time - as he never really convinced he was up to the level that was required at the club.
United signed Darmian for a reported fee of around £13m, although they recouped little of that when the right-back departed to Parma in 2019. Darmian joined Inter Milan on a season-long loan for the 2020/21 campaign and permanently after that.
There’s definitely been a recurring theme with United’s misfits.
Ashley Young
There’s no denying Young was an excellent servant to United in his nine years spent at the club.
After 192 appearances at Old Trafford, some of those as club captain, Young’s United career came to an end in the 2020 January transfer window when the converted left-back joined Inter Milan for a fee of £1.28m.
Young won the Scudetto with Inter last season before joining Aston Villa on a free transfer in the summer.
Marouane Fellaini
Fellaini was a divisive figure in the North West, with his style not traditionally typical of that of a United player, but he was certainly effective at the unglamorous side of the game.
His departure in January 2019 to Chinese club Shandong Luneng was symbolic in many ways, with Solskjaer ushering in a new era at United. The towering Belgian has scored 30 goals in 80 appearances in China, but he’s still without his trademark afro haircut.
Chris Smalling
After joining United from Fulham, Smalling spent 10 years in Manchester, making over 200 appearances in his time at Old Trafford.
He joined Roma on a season-long loan for the 2019/20 season, and after impressing former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca the deal was made permanent for an initial fee of £13.6m.
Smalling has overcome his fitness issues and he's now a key player at the club.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Borthwick-Jackson joined United's Academy at the age of six and progressed through the youth ranks to make his senior debut in 2015 under Louis van Gaal.
After numerous loan spells away from the club, playing for Wolves, Leeds, Scunthorpe, Tranmere and Oldham, he was released when his contract expired in June 2020.
Following his release, Borthwick-Jackson joined Oldham on a permanent basis, but he now plays for Burton Albion.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah
The impressively versatile Fosu-Mensah played for United's youth teams before making his professional debut in 2016 under Van Gaal, just like Borthwick-Jackson. The former United boss was a huge admirer of Fosu-Mensah, but he struggled to consolidate his position under Mourinho and Solskjaer.
After loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham, the Dutchman completed a permanent transfer away from United in this year’s January window, joining Bayer Leverkusen.
Fosu-Mensah suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury just after that move but he's now made a full return to fitness.
Sergio Romero
There was a time at United when Romero was widely regarded as one of the world's finest goalkeeping deputies, but he would soon dramatically fall out with Solskjaer when he was dropped in the 2020 Europa League semi-final.
Solskjaer started David de Gea in that semi-final defeat against Sevilla and Romero was deeply hurt by the decision. He subsequently asked to leave United that summer, but his proposed loan move to Everton was blocked - the feud then worsened, though.
Romero's wife took to Instagram to hit out against the decision to block his loan move on deadline day and the stopper was permanently axed from Solskjaer's plans, which meant he spent last season frozen out until his contract at the club ran down.
Romero is now at Italian Venezia.
Marcos Rojo
Rojo is one of many United players that overstayed their welcome at the club.
The Argentinian hadn’t played a game for United since November 2019 but only sealed a move away from Manchester in January last year, joining Boca Juniors in his homeland.
James Wilson
Another product of United’s youth system, Wilson made the dream debut when scoring a brace at Old Trafford against Hull in the Premier League.
He failed to establish himself as a first-team player at United, and after loan periods away at Brighton, Derby, Sheffield United and Aberdeen, he found a permanent home with the latter in Scotland.
Wilson joined Class of 92 owned Salford City in January 2020 and joined Port Vale in the summer.
Angel Gomes
Gomes made his United debut at 16 years and 263 days old, making him the youngest player to represent the club since 1953.
Expectations were consequently high for Gomes, but his United career never materialised. He made just five first-team appearances, and after failed contract negotiations, he was released in June 2020 before joining Lille on a free transfer.
Gomes was immediately sent on loan to Boavista for the 2020/21 campaign, but he's now settled at Lille.
The 21-year-old has played 22 times for the French champions this term.
Dan James
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford made Dan James reconsider his future at United in the summer.
Leeds almost signed James on deadline day in January 2019 before United nabbed the Welshman for £15m from Swansea that summer but they completed a permanent deal for the 24-year-old - almost two years later - this summer, which was worth £30m.
The winger left United after making 74 appearances, in which he scored nine goals and created nine assists.
Joel Pereira
Joel Pereira finally left United in the summer on a free transfer after six years at the club.
The Swiss only ever made one start for United, against Crystal Palace in the Premier League in May 2017. Pereira had a staggering six loan moves away from Manchester across his time at United and he's now with RKC Waalwijk.
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