I agree with blind. He would've been great in our desperation for a dm.
Also don't think we should have got rid of memphis
Also don't think we should have got rid of memphis
Players who should have never been sold in the post-Fergie era?
- Thread starter Fortitude
- Start date
Haha this.
Boo hoo. Too bad. He was performing especially in a transition year and we needed a player like him.
He still would have got more assists than our other creative players playing from the sun. That team lacked assists and creativity.
RVP? Can’t really remember his last season. All I recall is that it seemed that he was frozen out by LVG, which shocked everyone.
Was he spent when he left or did he have anything left to offer , even if as a sub / older experienced head. Really can’t remember him other than the league winning season. And Moyes’ first season but that was mostly because of Moyes talking about Rooney being RVP’s sidekick and Rooney’s camp being “angry & confused”
Was he spent when he left or did he have anything left to offer , even if as a sub / older experienced head. Really can’t remember him other than the league winning season. And Moyes’ first season but that was mostly because of Moyes talking about Rooney being RVP’s sidekick and Rooney’s camp being “angry & confused”
Rafael. I will never forgive LVG for it. Zaha should probably have been given more time as well. Pretty much everybody else that has left deserved to be sold.
He wasn't sold, but the club should have done more to keep Herrera here. Loved him.
He wasn't sold, but the club should have done more to keep Herrera here. Loved him.
Ashley Young is the reason we had to buy AWB. He was atrocious as a defender his last season here.
Blind is the only no-brainer for me.
Possibly Evans - he wasn't great under Moyes or LVG, but we replaced him with inferior defenders.
Memphis and Zaha could've had good careers with us as well, but I think both signed for United way too early.
Possibly Evans - he wasn't great under Moyes or LVG, but we replaced him with inferior defenders.
Memphis and Zaha could've had good careers with us as well, but I think both signed for United way too early.
Herrera,, Depay, Zaha, Smalling and Mikitaryan
Rafael - worth far more than what we sold him for, and RB was a mess until ten Hag came.
Chicharito - would've been a great impact sub.
Romero - solid backup GK, kept his head down and did his job, won us the Europa League.
Blind - intelligent player who could've stepped into the Carrick role after he retired.
Chicharito - would've been a great impact sub.
Romero - solid backup GK, kept his head down and did his job, won us the Europa League.
Blind - intelligent player who could've stepped into the Carrick role after he retired.
It's kind of amusing that so few remembers the frustration with Rafael being injured all the time
And his injury record didn't improve much after leaving unlike Evans for example.
He didn't exactly shine either for Lyon and was finished at 28.
Most were pretty bad when we sold them, I don't think he was done though, could've still played a role here and was a respected figure in the dressing room.
Not even the pigeons respected him at that point let alone the dressing room!
I wouldn’t have kept any of the players mentioned, with the possible exception of Blind, who I have always liked. Nani had more to give. But everyone else who has been mentioned was largely shite for us. Just because they’ve done okay at smaller clubs is proof of nothing.
Blind, herrera
I have to say Lukaku, brutal attitude and Now we have an old man up front.
I thought you guys got rid off Chicharito way too easy, I wanted at Real Madrid for a long time after we sold Higuaín. Even in his loan with us I thought he did great considering how little he played and even then he delivered some great goals. Deadly poacher who was able to deliver with few minutes coming from the bench, he wasn't the best all round striker but for a team that can provide service he was one of the best.
None. All of them absolutely deserved to go at the time they were sold.
None.
You can make a case for role players like Blind but he probably wanted first team football. Our transfer business this past decade has been atrocious.
You can make a case for role players like Blind but he probably wanted first team football. Our transfer business this past decade has been atrocious.
RVP, blind, Nani, Herring and Raphael
Evans, Blind, Smalling, Nani. They were all good enough, at least as squad players, for any big teams.
Smalling left because Ole's man management was shit. Ole could easily tell Smalling to fight for his place, like what he had done numerous times before, and Smalling would most likely stay.
Smalling left because Ole's man management was shit. Ole could easily tell Smalling to fight for his place, like what he had done numerous times before, and Smalling would most likely stay.
I still have nightmares to this day of Lukaku. His first touch was a pass to the opposition team and always looked clumsy af.
The fact is - none of the players who left were consistently good. None of them were ever key-players under any manager (including Ferguson) - yes we could have kept a few of them, but was it a mistake to let them go ? No - not a single one of them
Nobody saw it that way at the time. Nobody.
We just made so many bad purchases. That was the only mistake.
Post FergieFor the old lads, some you missed
Johnny Giles to Leeds
Denis Law and Brian Kidd
Jimmy Rimmer
Ray Wilkins
Mark Hughes
Gordon Strachan
Paul McGrath
David Beckham
Japp Stam
To be honest I don't think any one players departure mattered in the long run, we were shite from top to bottom .
Smalling became the typical scapegoat people were bored watching. We had fecking LIndelof partnering him, one of the most ineffectual defenders we have had in my years watching Utd, and Smalling was taking the blame for all his failings as well as his own. Lindelof may have had a more aesthetic style that couldn't be memed as easily but he was and is a far less impactful player.
LVG replaced all our squad players with, generally, players of the same level or below. Most of the guys like Nani, Welbeck, Evans, Rafael could have been kept, strengthening the squad and the focus should have been on putting better quality around them rather than just replacing them.
LVG replaced all our squad players with, generally, players of the same level or below. Most of the guys like Nani, Welbeck, Evans, Rafael could have been kept, strengthening the squad and the focus should have been on putting better quality around them rather than just replacing them.
Not so sure Zaha would have thrived on a team facing low block defences on most nights.
With Smalling wasn't there also dressing room chemistry and attitude issues? Anyway, I really don't see how the club would have been better off hanging on to him, he clearly didn't cut it.
With Smalling wasn't there also dressing room chemistry and attitude issues? Anyway, I really don't see how the club would have been better off hanging on to him, he clearly didn't cut it.
Peak Smalling is, by far, the best defender Utd had in the period between Rio and Vidic to Lisandro and Varane.
Interesting thread, opened as I couldn’t think of any that stand out.
Rose tinted spectacles appear to have been selling well though!
Rose tinted spectacles appear to have been selling well though!
Zaha never would have developed here
Depay. Still feel like he had something to offer, at least more than the likes of Mata and Lingard.
Blind. Darmian was far far worse, Bailly was starting to look shite, Jones was a permacrock. Deserved at least one more season.
Blind. Darmian was far far worse, Bailly was starting to look shite, Jones was a permacrock. Deserved at least one more season.
Herrera
Its only really within the context of who we replaced him with really.
If you're offering me keep Smalling or spend 80m on Maguire it's a no brainer for me (and I'm sure many others)
Smalling was guaranteed to lose his man and cost a goal almost every corner. He wasn’t booted quickly enough.
Even without the gift of hindsight, definitely Hernandez and Smalling. We made the right decision not to break the bank to keep Herrera, although we did miss him.
Fans started getting on Nani's back a lot and it was bothering him, I got the sense there was no coming back for him. Which is a shame because he was a classy player.
Blind is quite overrated on this forum IMO. He was quite useful at CB when we played at home to lower-mid table teams who sat back. When our defence came under more sustained pressure he looked out of his depth.
Fans started getting on Nani's back a lot and it was bothering him, I got the sense there was no coming back for him. Which is a shame because he was a classy player.
Blind is quite overrated on this forum IMO. He was quite useful at CB when we played at home to lower-mid table teams who sat back. When our defence came under more sustained pressure he looked out of his depth.
Young was always better at leftback than he was rightback. We certainly needed to replace him as a starter on the right, but if he was happy to stick around as backup (who could play both sides) he would've been a good one to keep. Also would have kept the captaincy so we didn't give it to Maguire in desperation.
However he actively wanted to go since he wasn't first choice anymore and he had another good club giving him an offer. I think it's a bit of a dick move to force players to stay purely as depth if they've been with us for a significant period, so I wouldn't include him in this thread.
Smalling was kind of in the same situation, but the difference is that he probably should have still been first choice. He was starting to show some signs of deterioration in his last season here, but it was always obvious that he would have been a better partner for either Maguire or Lindelof than they were for each other.
No one tbh. Quite liked Herrera but felt it was the right move to not give him a new improved contract at that time.
Problem is we’ve been a rudderless ship for a long time. No red thread to make some sense of all our signings.
What does my head in (apart from the poor recruitment) is the players we didn’t let go of. Giving Rooney a massive 5 year contract when he was stagnating and on top of that were interested in a new challenge somewhere else (iirc) was frustrating. Giving Anderson the benefit of doubt despite huge problems with keeping fit was another one. How Jones is still here after disappointing the shit out of us for the last 7-8 years is a mystery suitable for an episode of the X-files
Problem is we’ve been a rudderless ship for a long time. No red thread to make some sense of all our signings.
What does my head in (apart from the poor recruitment) is the players we didn’t let go of. Giving Rooney a massive 5 year contract when he was stagnating and on top of that were interested in a new challenge somewhere else (iirc) was frustrating. Giving Anderson the benefit of doubt despite huge problems with keeping fit was another one. How Jones is still here after disappointing the shit out of us for the last 7-8 years is a mystery suitable for an episode of the X-files
Exaggerate much? We conceded more corners and set pieces in general since he left than we did with him.
For me the getting rid of certain players wasn't about how good they still were, it was about attitude and mentality and what was ultimately going to get passed on to new signings and youngsters.
Take Depay for example or even likes of Marcus and Martial. I'm not sure if they would have gone down the route they did if the likes of Rio, Vidic and Evra had been around as even bit part players.
Nani may have been frustrating and on the slide, same with Raphael but they had an attitude and mentality instilled within them.
People have had their say about Maguire and rightly so. But I think the team of old would have protected this guy and helped him on the pitch. It's what likes of Keane did.
Selling players was never an issue for us in my opinion. It was the mindset instilled in the news ones from the off that made a difference.
I see a difference with ETH but previously we were weak minded as a team. Even his first couple of games we were. We reverted to type when under pressure. I see that changing with some players and for me when that changes we will see what has happened at Arsenal with Xhaka. A player maligned to fans singing his name.
Take Depay for example or even likes of Marcus and Martial. I'm not sure if they would have gone down the route they did if the likes of Rio, Vidic and Evra had been around as even bit part players.
Nani may have been frustrating and on the slide, same with Raphael but they had an attitude and mentality instilled within them.
People have had their say about Maguire and rightly so. But I think the team of old would have protected this guy and helped him on the pitch. It's what likes of Keane did.
Selling players was never an issue for us in my opinion. It was the mindset instilled in the news ones from the off that made a difference.
I see a difference with ETH but previously we were weak minded as a team. Even his first couple of games we were. We reverted to type when under pressure. I see that changing with some players and for me when that changes we will see what has happened at Arsenal with Xhaka. A player maligned to fans singing his name.