The Man Utd ‘left too soon’ regret XI to include Marcus Rashford?

January is here and transfer rumours are rife, some of which will no doubt concern the future of Marcus Rashford and his apparent desire for a new challenge.

Could Manchester United let him go in January and will those in control at Old Trafford end up regretting the local lad leaving? Here’s an XI made up from players who came through the youth system at the club but departed too soon.

Goalkeeper: Jimmy Rimmer
Behind Alex Stepney in the pecking order when he came through the ranks, a young Jimmy Rimmer was on the bench as United won the European Cup in ’68, ten years after the tragedy of Munich. One of the new batch of Busby Babes, Rimmer did end up replacing a long-standing club legend, but it wasn’t Stepney.

Instead, he ended up at Highbury and took on the No. 1 shirt at Arsenal after the retirement of Bob Wilson and later enjoyed a long spell at Aston Villa, where he won a second European Cup, despite coming off injured after less than 10 minutes of the final. If you fancy a goalkeeper challenge, try naming two Premier League era ‘keepers who played for Villa but started their career at Old Trafford.

Centre-back: Jimmy Nicholl
A right-back for United in the late seventies, Jimmy Nicholl often lined up in the centre for Northern Ireland. Comfortable on the ball with both feet, it seemed an odd decision for new boss Ron Atkinson to let an established defender who came up through the youth system go. Nicholl went on to win multiple trophies up north with Rangers and he was yet to turn 30 by the time Alex Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford.

Centre-back: Jonny Evans
Jonny Evans joins fellow countryman Nicholl in this side, having departed Old Trafford in 2015 before returning to his boyhood club in 2023. Louis van Gaal moved Evans on in 2015, meaning he missed out on the FA Cup win the following year. But he went on to win the competition with Leicester in 2021 and with United last May after coming off the bench in the win over City.

But in a world without Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, he could have been celebrating an uninterrupted two-decade spell in Manchester.

READ: Every Man Utd signing post-Sir Alex ranked: Sancho, Antony in bottom five, Solskjaer buy top

Centre-back: Gerard Pique
Only a year older than Evans, Gerard Pique could have partnered the Northern Irishman at the back in the early post-Ferguson years after the successful paring of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic was lost to age and injury. But Pique wasn’t prepared to wait around for his first-team spot and returned home to Catalonia in 2008 after making just 23 appearances in the four years since his debut.

Pique’s departure came shortly after the Red Devils won the Champions League and a year later he played a key role in stopping his former team making it back-to-back wins in the competition as Barcelona triumphed 2-0 at Wembley.

Right wing: David Beckham
Alex Ferguson didn’t seem to have any problems moving on big-name players and back in 2003 they didn’t come any bigger than David Beckham.

Part of the famous Class of ’92, Beckham won it all at United and his celebrity status transcended the sport. But Ferguson literally gave him the boot in a heated dressing room incident and England’s most famous player was soon off to Spain to become a Galactico, with a transfer to Real Madrid completed in the summer.

The Red Devils didn’t do too badly without him and the man who took on the burden of the famous number 7 shirt proved to be pretty handy himself. But maybe Cristiano Ronaldo and Beckham linking up could have added even more silverware to the Old Trafford trophy cabinet.

Central midfield: Paul Pogba
Another big-name Ferguson moved on was Paul Pogba, who made his debut under the legendary Scottish boss back in the 2011/12 season. But the Frenchman was soon off to Juventus where he enjoyed a successful spell before returning to Old Trafford for big money in 2016. Despite not achieving what was expected of him in his second spell and his subsequent doping ban after once again fleeing to Turin, the club could have saved a fortune had he stayed the course.

READ: Where Paul Pogba could make his triumphant Premier League return to most infuriate Souness

Central midfield: Johnny Morris
The first two names in this midfield fell foul of Ferguson’s wrath, but the following three all ended up on the wrong side of another legendary Scottish boss in the Old Trafford hotseat.

Matt Busby’s first great side included the impressive forward line of Jimmy Delaney, Johnny Morris, Jack Rowley, Stan Pearson and Charlie Mitten. Together they helped the Red Devils to victory in the 1948 FA Cup Final, but less than a year later, Manchester-born Morris was off to Derby County for a record fee at the age of just 25 after an argument with Busby could not be amicably resolved.

Central midfield: Johnny Giles
Fourteen years after Morris had his disagreement with Matt Busby, another talented player from the youth system left Old Trafford in similar circumstances. Johnny Giles wasn’t keen on Busby’s decision to start him on the right wing and the Irishman departed soon after the 1963 FA Cup win: the club’s first major trophy after the Munich air crash. Giles went on to enjoy a long and successful career at Leeds United, winning two league titles at Elland Road.

Left wing: Charlie Mitten
Prominent United supporter Andy Mitten recently suggested that several managers at the club have had issues with Marcus Rashford. He certainly wouldn’t be the first key player to frustrate the man in the Old Trafford hotseat; indeed, Mitten’s great uncle Charlie fell out with Matt Busby after being lured by the rebel riches of Colombia in 1950, a country outside of FIFA control at the time.

Mitten returned home after a year in South America, with the Red Devils still holding his registration and although Busby rated the skilful winger highly, he didn’t want his authority questioned and sent one of his early star players down south to Fulham.

Striker: Brian Kidd
Just like Mitten, Brian Kidd possessed a fine left peg and starts up top for this side. Some may suggest George Best should occupy a place in this XI, having departed the club whilst still in his twenties. But the outrageously gifted Best had no doubt given United his best years and it seems impossible that any boss post-Busby could have controlled the Northern Irishman’s demons.

After the stellar careers of Charlton, Law, Crerand and Stiles came to an end, Best was burdened with the task of keeping the side competitive. Kidd seemed ideally placed to help, having scored in the European Cup win of ’68 whilst still a teenager. However, he left for Arsenal following relegation in 1974 and wasn’t to be part of an Old Trafford revolution until he returned to the club as Alex Ferguson’s assistant.

Striker: Mark Hughes
Still in the top ten of all time Manchester United goalscorers, Mark Hughes could have found himself a few spots higher on that list had he not left the club in 1986. A disappointing spell at Barcelona resulted in a loan move to Bayern Munich before Alex Ferguson brought him back to Old Trafford. It proved to be a good move, as the Welshman went on to help the club to a first league title in 26 years, followed by the domestic double in 1994.