Man Utd Never Should Have Sold: one per club featuring Onana upgrade and £50m Newcastle forward
The way things are going for Man Utd and Ruben Amorim right now, it would be no surprise to see the outcasted Alejandro Garnacho pop up with a winner for Chelsea against his former employers in the fifth minute of injury time on Saturday evening and put the Portuguese out of a job.
There are plenty of others that Manchester Utd may have regretted letting go. Here’s one per current Premier League club and how losing Chris Eagles and Darron Gibson cost the Red Devils from winning seven titles on the bounce. Probably.
Arsenal
Jimmy Rimmer is a fair shout here, but United had strong No.1s in Alex Stepney and Gary Bailey during that period. Brian Kidd is another option but his departure after the Red Devils’ relegation in 1974 was understandable.
Like Kidd, Danny Welbeck left his native Manchester for North London in his mid-20s when he perhaps should’ve spent the next decade at Old Trafford. Welbeck’s ten league goals for Brighton last season was three more than Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee combined.
That MK Dons defeat has a lot to answer for.
Aston Villa
One of just three defenders to win the PFA Player of the Year award in the Premier League era, Paul McGrath still had plenty left in the tank when he left Man Utd in 1989. Despite his dodgy knees, the Irish star spent seven years at Aston Villa and was part of the side that defeated the Red Devils in the 1994 League Cup Final.
Bournemouth
Given Bournemouth were starting their first ever season in the top flight just a decade ago, there haven’t been many notable transfers between the two. One of Ferguson’s early fledglings, Russell Beardsmore, enjoyed a five-year stay at Dean Court after leaving Old Trafford. A skilful midfielder, Beardsmore had a spell in the United first team in the late ’80s and featured in the club’s run to the 1991 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final.
Brentford
Tom Manley spent nine years with Man Utd in the ’30s, leaving for Brentford shortly before professional football was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War. Like many of that era, Manley was deprived of his prime years but resumed playing for the Bees in 1946. Had he stayed at Old Trafford his experience could’ve helped new manager Matt Busby lift the title in his first season, with the Red Devils finishing just one point behind champions Liverpool.
Brighton
Dave Sexton always seemed an odd choice as Man Utd manager given the ultra-cautious style of football he employed and his decision to offload a local lad who was banging in hat-tricks for the first team as a teenager certainly didn’t endear him to the Old Trafford faithful. Andy Ritchie departed for Brighton shortly before his 20th birthday when he could’ve played well into the Alex Ferguson era.
Burnley
Chris Eagles played 17 times for Man Utd before joining Burnley in search of regular first-team football. It wasn’t long before Eagles faced his former team-mates, helping the Clarets to a famous 1-0 win over the Red Devils at the start of the 2009/10 season. If Ferguson’s men had taken all three points that day, they would’ve retained the title and become the first English club to win four in a row, long before City did it.
Chelsea
Ferguson wasn’t to know Mark Hughes would continue playing top-flight football well into his late 30s but the Welshman’s experience and grit may have come in handy during the 1997/98 campaign. Eric Cantona’s retirement, Teddy Sheringham’s initial struggles as his replacement and captain Roy Keane’s season-ending injury saw the Red Devils lose their Premier League crown to Arsenal.
Hughes also showed Marcus Rashford how to do it at Barcelona.
Crystal Palace
Keeping Dean Henderson rather than spending a fortune on Andre Onana seems like a better idea in hindsight, but we wouldn’t have all those compilations of the Cameroonian’s c**k-ups if that happened.
Everton
Letting go of Phil Neville when he remains an immutable fixture on the England ladder was foolish of Ferguson, but the legendary Scottish boss will perhaps have more regrets about letting so many of his other unwanted stars rock up at Goodison Park. Neville, Tim Howard and Darron Gibson all featured for Everton in the bonkers 4-4 draw that cost United top spot in the 2011/12 season. If he kept Chris Eagles as well, it definitely would’ve been seven titles in a row.
Fulham
Would Dimitar Berbatov have kept David Moyes in the Old Trafford hotseat if he didn’t leave for Fulham in 2012? Almost certainly not, but the Bulgarian would’ve come in handy considering Robin van Persie missed a large chunk of the 2013/14 season.
Leeds United
Gordon Strachan’s trip across the Pennines would’ve hurt Ferguson after his fellow Scot helped Leeds pip the Red Devils to the title in 1992, but Johnny Giles’ departure to Elland Road in 1963 seems a bigger mistake. Giles was still in his early 20s at the time and went on to become one of the finest midfielders in Europe under Don Revie.
Liverpool
There haven’t been many direct transfers between England’s two most successful clubs but Fred Hopkin’s story is one that stands out. Hopkin left Man Utd for Liverpool in 1921 and was an ever-present in the side as he helped his new team to the First Division title in his maiden season.
Manchester City
Denis Law’s back-heel didn’t actually relegate Man Utd, so it’s got to be Carlos Tevez. The Argentine forward helped the Red Devils to two Premier League titles, an EFL Cup and a Champions League triumph in his short stay at Old Trafford. However, Tevez then ended up on the blue side of Manchester and despite going on strike in the 2011/12 season, he returned to help deliver a first top-flight title to City since 1968.
Newcastle United
Playing for the red and blue sides of both Manchester and Merseyside is unusual but what’s even more bizarre is Ron Atkinson’s decision to let a young Peter Beardsley go so soon after signing him. One of England’s finest players in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Beardsley was behind the likes of Whiteside, Stapleton and Macari in the pecking order at Old Trafford, but given his ability to be far more than an out-and-out marksman it remains a mystery that he only featured in one match for the Red Devils.
Nottingham Forest
One of Newcastle’s shiny new toys for this campaign, but two years ago Anthony Elanga swapped Old Trafford for the City Ground. If Amorim does end up getting the boot, one of his potential replacements may wish they had a £50million winger to aid their cause.
READ MORE: Two Man Utd transfer decisions exposed by ruthless Nottingham Forest after inexplicable £90m calls
Sunderland
Another seemingly odd decision by Atkinson was to let an established defender who came up through the youth system go. Jimmy Nicholl went on to win multiple trophies up north with Rangers after his brief spell on Wearside and he was yet to turn 30 by the time Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford.
Tottenham Hotspur
After winning the lot with Man Utd Teddy Sheringham returned from whence he came and enjoyed two more seasons at White Hart Lane before joining Portsmouth for their 2003/04 campaign. That season was of course famous for Arsenal’s Invincibles, with the Gunners taking the Premier League crown away from Old Trafford in style. The only two clubs they failed to beat in their historic run: Man Utd and Portsmouth, with Sheringham finding the net in a 1-1 draw at Highbury and almost inflicting defeat on Arsene Wenger’s men but for a very questionable penalty.
West Ham United
A goalscorer for Man Utd in their 1977 FA Cup win over Liverpool that prevented Bob Paisley from winning the treble 22 years before Ferguson, Stuart Pearson was a firm favourite with the Old Trafford faithful and if it wasn’t for persistent knee problems he may not have left for West Ham in ’79. Despite dropping down a tier, Pearson’s FA Cup story wasn’t over as he set up Trevor Brooking for a famous Wembley winner in the 1980 final. Meanwhile, the Red Devils exited the competition at the first hurdle.
Wolves
Going way back to the Victorian era, Joe Davies left Man Utd (named Newton Heath at the time) for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1890, shortly after the club started playing at Molineux for the first time. The Welsh international helped the side reach the FA Cup final during his three-year stay, with Wolves winning the trophy 16 years before the Red Devils’ maiden triumph in the competition.
