Over the past few years, Manchester United has seen a lot of players depart from the club. Some of these players have succeeded in their new destinations, and some have yet to find that success. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the most notable departures, which ones have thrived, and which ones are still in search of their stride.
Table of Contents
Succeeding
Scott McTominay – Napoli
In August 2024, a 7-run year with Manchester United ended for McTominay when he signed a £25.7 million deal with Napoli, taking his talent to the Serie A. McTominay found success with the club almost instantly, scoring his first goal on September 26th against Palermo in the Coppa Italia and scoring his first Serie A goal just a week later on October 4th against Como.
Since joining Napoli, McTominay has scored seven goals and provided four assists in just 24 appearances. With Manchester United, he had 29 goals and eight assists in 255 appearances. At this pace with Napoli, he would have 70 goals and 40 assists in that many appearances. Obviously, this is a very difficult pace to keep up, but it goes to show the success McTominay has had since leaving the Premier League.
Mason Greenwood – Marseille
A successful run with Manchester United was cut short for Greenwood after personal controversies and allegations came to light that the club felt would be best to stay away from. During his tenure with the club, he scored 35 goals and had 10 assists in 129 appearances.
In September 2023, Greenwood joined Getafe of La Liga on loan for the season, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 36 overall appearances.
In July 2024, he signed a five-year contract with Ligue 1 club Marseille. Due to his controversies, Benoît Payan, the mayor of Marseille, criticized the move. Greenwood, however, has found success since joining the club, scoring 15 goals along with four assists in just 24 appearances for the French side.
Álvaro Fernández Carreras – Benfica
Carreras never actually played for United’s senior team, departing in 2024 before making his debut, but was a regular for their U23 club. In 2022, he was named Manchester United’s U23 Player of the Year.
From 2022 until 2024, he was loaned to different clubs, joining Preston, Granada, and Benfica. In 2024, Benfica exercised a €6 million buy option present in Carreras’ loan contract. Carreras also signed a contract with Benfica until 2029.
In 51 appearances with the club, the young footballer is beginning to find his stride as a professional, scoring four goals and providing five assists from the fullback position. In 56 combined appearances with Preston and Granada, Carreras did not score any goals, so this is a major improvement and a successful transfer thus far.
Anthony Elanga – Nottingham Forest
Elanga is a player who found a lot of success with United’s junior teams. In 66 combined appearances for the U21 and U19 teams, he scored 25 goals and provided 11 assists. However, he was unable to replicate the same level of success with the senior team, with just four goals and four assists in 55 appearances.
In July 2023, Elanga signed a five-year deal with fellow Premier League club Nottingham Forest after a reported £15 million transfer fee was agreed between the two sides. Since the transfer, Elanga has performed at a much higher level of professional success, scoring eight goals and adding 17 assists to his tally in 66 matches.
David De Gea – Fiorentina
David De Gea has a bit of a different story than the rest of these players. A seasoned veteran, De Gea spent 12 successful seasons with Manchester United, widely regarded as one of the most successful goalkeepers in the world. In 545 matches with the club, he conceded just 590 goals with 190 clean sheets.
De Gea’s contract expired in July of 2023, and his departure from the club was announced in the same month. He spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season as a free agent, unable to find a club that would fit him onto their roster. However, his luck changed on August 9th 2024, signing with Serie A club Fiorentina.
Since joining La Viola, De Gea has been able to replicate the success he has been known for throughout his career. In 24 appearances, he has conceded 28 goals only and kept seven clean sheets.
Antony – Real Betis
Antony‘s move from Manchester United to Real Betis on loan during the January transfer window has marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in his career. During his time at Old Trafford, the Brazilian winger often found himself under intense scrutiny and was frequently mocked by fans who questioned his consistency and impact on the pitch.
In 44 appearances for Manchester United, Antony managed to score only 4 goals and provide just 2 assists, leading to growing frustration among supporters who expected much more from the high-profile signing.
However, since his arrival at Real Betis, Antony has made an impressive turnaround, silencing critics with his outstanding performances. In just four games, he has already scored three goals and provided one assist, showcasing his flair and creativity. This fresh start in La Liga seems to have reignited his confidence, allowing him to play with freedom and rediscover the form that once made him one of football’s most promising talents.
Yet to Find Their Stride
Donny van de Beek – Girona
With Manchester United, Donny van de Beek did not see a lot of minutes. In four seasons with the club, he only found 769 minutes on the pitch, partially due to his loans to Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, in July of 2024, he signed with Girona of La Liga for an initial transfer fee of €500,000. Since his transfer, he has found a lot more time on the pitch, with 1,197 minutes this season alone, but he is still yet to fully prove himself with the club, with just two goals and two assists in 19 matches played. The increase in playing time definitely makes this transfer worth it for van de Beek, who is seeing similar minutes as his time with Ajax, but he will have to prove more of his worth on the pitch.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka – West Ham
In five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka scored just two goals and had 10 assists to his name. He did miss a significant portion of the 2022-23 season due to injury and illness, but perhaps a change of scenery is what Wan-Bissaka needed. In August 2024, he signed for West Ham on a long-term deal.
Since joining the Hammers, Wan-Bissaka has shown slight improvement, with two goals and one assist, but he has shown some solid defensive performances shifting to a CB position while playing “three-at-the-back”. Those two goals this season were the first he’s scored since the 2020-21 season with United.
Jadon Sancho – Chelsea
Jadon Sancho came to Chelsea on a loan from Manchester United, and will be bought permanently by Chelsea at the season’s end. After a lacklustre tenure with United, Sancho went into the season looking to turn heads and prove doubters wrong.
However, he has not exactly played up to par in his time with Chelsea thus far. In his first three games with the club, he had an assist in each, but since then he has just two goals and two assists. On Friday night against Brighton, Sancho surrendered possession 14 times in a match that Brighton absolutely dominated Chelsea by a score of 3-0. If Sancho wants to change the narrative United fans know and Chelsea fans are starting to discover, he is going to have to change his style — fast.
Related Articles:
