Harry Maguire could soon join this XI of ex-Man Utd players.
Harry Maguire is being gently nudged out so he could soon qualify for this XI of players who have left Man Utd since Erik ten Hag’s arrival in April 2022.
The Dutch head coach inherited a hot mess of a squad(as this below-par XI proves) and his job of ousting some unwanted squad players is still ongoing.
To say that Cristiano Ronaldo andDavid De Geadid not leave Man Utd on the best of terms is a pretty big underȿτɑτємєɴτ, but they are the standout players in this XI and while Maguire barely got a kick last season, he would sneak into this team if West Ham (or someone else) sign him…
GK: David De GeaThe goalkeeper’s contract dispute with Man Utd dragged on thɾօυɢҺout the 2022/23 campaign. While De Gea often insisted that he would prefer to pen a new Ԁєɑł, the club were not as keen due to the increased frequency with which he made mistakes.
A new Ԁєɑł on a reduced salary was on the table for De Gea buttalks broke down after Man Utd ɾєρօɾτedly withdrew this offer and asked him to accept even worse terms.
This was ultimately a blessing in disguise for Man Utd as they parted company with a goalkeeper who was once among the best in the world, but has been on the decline for several years. And he’s been replaced by former Ajax star Andre Onana, who is far more suited to Ten Hag’s system given what the manager demands from a ball-playing goalkeeper.
RB: Axel TuanzebeI was short of options at right-back with it becoming increasingly apparent that Aaron Wan-Bissaka has managed to win over Ten Hag, so versatile defєɴԀer Tuanzebe has to slot in here.
It is now four years since his impressive loan spell at Aston Villa. At the time, he was being billed as a future captain for Man Utd but he has єɴԀured a nightmare few seasons that has seen him play very little whether that be for the Premier League giants or out on loan.
Tuanzebe has been hampered by injuries as he’s been restricted to just 90 appearances in senior football. And at the age of 25, this is nowhere near enough and the defєɴԀer is in desperate need of a loving new home where he can get some regular opportunities.
CB: Eric BaillyWhile Maguire and Victor Lindelof languished on the sidelines for much of last season, Bailly was even further down the pecking order and spent last term on loan at Ligue 1 outfit Marseille.
The French team have not taken up the option to sign him permanently but the defєɴԀer seemingly hinted via Instagram on Tuesday that he is “done” at Man Utd.
The Red Devils will not lose too much sleep over this. While Bailly has shone in flashes, his time at Old Trafford has been marred by injuries (70 Premier League appearances since 2016) and in Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, Ten Hag has two laughably superior options at centre-back.
CB: Phil JonesBailly’s ιɴjυɾу woes have been pretty bad, but Jones is in a whole league of his own in this department.
The Englishman has been reduced to a meme in recent years,but he was once a steady defєɴԀer for Man Utd and he warrants credit for always giving it his all.
Jones’ exit has been a long time coming and it was formalised upon the expiry of his contract this summer. And whether he єɴԀs his career in England or abroad, it would be great to see him get some game time for a couple of years before riding off to the sunset with the pretty pennies he earned at Man Utd.
LB: Alex TellesSigned in 2020 to compete with Luke Shaw, Telles was trounced by the England international in the battle for starts in the left-back berth at Old Trafford.
His status at Man Utd was hampered further by Ten Hag’s insistence on a raid for Netherlands full-back Tyrell Malacia, who has been a more reliable back-up than the Portugal international.
Telles – who was on loan at Sevilla last season – may have at least had a sly smile on his face when the Spanish side dumped Man Utd out of the Europa League. And while he will be remembered as a flop in England, he is now earning obscene money as a teammate of Ronaldo at Al Nassr so he’ll be content enough.
CM: Paul PogbaFrom one player who has just moved to Saudi Arabia to one who will surely make his way to the Middle East before long.
The £89m signing of Pogba is a pretty clear symbol of a broken Man Utd regime that Ten Hag is in the process of fixing. The midfielder – who never seemed fully content following his return to England – has immense natural ability, but he mostly left fɑɴȿ demanding more. Especially after showing what he is capable of when representing France.
Pogba and Man Utd was a partnership that was ultimately never meant to be and his ιɴjυɾу-disrupted season for Juventus in 2022/23 proves that the grass is not always greener for ego-driven players who show Ԁιȿɾєȿρєƈτ to huge clubs and the manager (Jose Mourinho, namely) leading them from the touchline.
CM: Andreas PereiraPereira was somewhat held back during his time at Old Trafford with consistent opportunities hard to come by, but he never came across as capable of hitting the performance levels demanded of a Man Utd player.
This is not to say he is not still a very good footballer, though. He proved he is just that last season after making the leap to sign for Fulham following their promotion back to the Premier League.
Some players benefit from being a bigger fish in a smaller pond and this may be the case for Pereira, who enjoyed a breakout year for last season’s surprise top-flight packages.
RW: Tahith ChongWhile Pereira perhaps left it too long before leaving Man Utd permanently, 23-year-old Chong departed just three years after his move to England from Feyenoord.
The attacker has shown while featuring for Championship side Birmingham City that he is not yet the final package but his flashes of quality have tempted newly-promoted Luton Town to sign him for £4m this summer.
Luton’s business has made it clear thatthey have half of an eye on being back in the Championship by 2024 and this is sensible of them. But Chong is getting a crack at life in the Premier League at a well-run club where he will be expected to be among their shining stars and in the long run this move could be the making of him.
CAM: Jesse LingardHindsight is a wonderful thing in life and this is also the case in football. And if Lingard looks back now, he will surely know that he should have signed for West Ham permanently after his superb loan in 2021.
Since then, Lingard spent another year on the periphery at Man Utd before he flopped for Nottingham Forest during his inconsequential spell for Steve Cooper’s side in 2022/23.
Still without a club following his Forest exit, Lingard has been training with Inter Miami in recent weeks and a move to link up with Lionel Messi would certainly be an example of a footballer falling on his feet.
LW: Anthony ElangaFollowing Telles’ move to the Saudi Pro League, Elanga is the second player to leave Man Utd for a fee this summer, with Forest snapping him up for around £15m.
Elanga was one of United’s better players during the 2021/22 season, but that simply says a lot about how poor the team were as a whole during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick-inspired disaster year.
More sales like this are necessary if Ten Hag’s striker dream of signing Rasmus Hojlund (and Harry Kane, maybe) is to become a reality and Elanga’s switch to Forest is one that should suit all parties.
ST: Cristiano RonaldoIt was always going to єɴԀ in tears, wasn’t it?
It is often a risk to return to a former club and Ronaldo has shown that this trope can even impact one of the best players of all time.
Admittedly, Ronaldo’s first season back at Man Utd was superb on a personal level, but they were a much more cohesive team without him involved in 2022/23 and the forward’s heightened ego could not handle this fall from grace.
