Man United have loaned out many, but they haven’t really sold that many goalkeepers over the last few years. The most prominent one that comes to mind is Sam Johnstone, who was sold after a flurry of loan spells.
He’s now the starting goalkeeper for West Bromwich Albion after failing to make a single appearance for our senior team.
The former United captain spent 10 eventful years at Old Trafford before being sold in 2019. Valencia proved to be a hard-working, dedicated player on the right wing despite his shortcomings.
He played out of position as a right-back for years and always gave his all on the pitch. He made 339 appearances for United, scoring 25 and assisting 62 goals before leaving for Ecuadorian club - Liga de Quito.
Smalling was our most recent departure after a summer-long battle with AS Roma saw him seal a deadline day move to Serie A. Before going to Italy, Smalling spent nearly a decade at Old Trafford and stuck with us during the transition in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
He made 323 appearances for the Red Devils, winning the Premier League & Europa League title with us and putting in some formidable performances over the years.
A clever utility player signed by Louis van Gaal, Blind was ready to play in various roles just as long as it benefited the team. He played in midfield, left-back and even centre-back to help United succeed. With his clever passing, game-reading ability and swagger, Blind provided some great memories in his few years at United before getting sold back to Ajax.
Sure, Young might’ve been a polarizing figure at United for his error-prone nature and lack of consistency, but he was a very good servant in his 9 years at the club. After starting as an efficient left-winger, he transitioned into a full-back and did a decent job under the circumstances.
Young had to leave earlier this year after losing his spot to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but definitely gave his everything in his 250+ appearances for United.
There were so many aspirations from fans towards Adnan Januzaj who was the one true great find during the David Moyes reign. The Belgian winger’s trickery, movement and ability to make an impact was extremely impressive early on, as he had a great breakthrough season.
After that, however, things started falling apart. He suffered some bad injuries, struggled to adapt into other systems and was eventually sold in 2017 after making only 50 appearances for us.
If one has to point towards a player who truly played for the badge at Man United, it has to be Ander Herrera. The Spaniard was our own warrior in midfield, never shying away from bit of dirty tactics but helping us dominate games well.
He scored memorable goals, led the team with his vibrant attitude and was a Red Devil through and through. His bitter departure came on unfortunate terms in 2018, but Herrera definitely left a mark on supporters with his excellent performances during the five-year stay.
Fellaini was never really a fan-favourite at United, but he was always at hand to get the job done. Whether it was to being used as a ‘Plan B’ makeshift centre-forward to score key goals or hard-hitting midfielder who loved outmuscling opponents, Fellaini was a pretty good squad player.
He made 177 appearances for United, scoring 33 goals and assisting 26 – as well as winning the Europa League with us!
Arguably the greatest United player in the 21st century, Wayne Rooney evolved as a top-class striker and became the backbone of United’s success under Sir Alex Ferguson. He was an ultimate team player willing to sacrifice his own interests for the team.
He played up front, in midfield and just about wherever needed. Wazza became United’s highest goal-scorer ever by surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s record, scoring 253 goals, assisting 146 in over 550 appearances and winning just about everything at Old Trafford.
Lukaku was incidentally the one who replaced Rooney after the deal was made, but he couldn’t really produce the magic our former captain did. Of course, Rom produced a number of memorable moments during his 2-season stay at United, scoring 42 goals in 96 appearances.
While things didn’t work out as well as we’d want to, Lukaku still did his job as a clinical goal-scorer pretty well at Old Trafford.
Zlatan became ‘The King of Old Trafford’ after he arrived in 2016 and provided fans with some amazing memories during his short stay. He scored 28 goals in all competitions in his debut season, winning us the Carabao Cup and playing a big role in the Europa League win.
While he didn’t get much time to play after his horrible injury and was let go in 2018, Ibrahimovic's brilliant in that one season is enough to make every fan remember him.
