In March 2021, MEN Sport conducted a survey, posing a question to Manchester United fans: Should the team retain each player in the first-team squad or sell them off.
At the time, Manchester United were performing commendably under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, yet their team still had a considerable way to go in terms of completing their overall development.
We have identified the 11 players that Manchester United fans chose to leave the club and where each one is now.
Phil Jones
Jones’s latter years were marked by injuries, resulting in him only featuring in 13 games for the team over his last four seasons with Manchester United.
The 32-year-old former player is still an employee of the team, not on the field, but rather behind the scenes. He has transitioned into coaching, and is currently involved with the club’s youth sides, overseeing the under-14 and under-18 teams.
Andreas Pereira
Pereira had a disjointed experience at Old Trafford, and ultimately departed the club in 2022 after spending those formative years in Manchester.
The 28-year-old has demonstrated his proficiency in the Premier League as he showcases a consistent level of performance for Marco Silva’s Fulham team.
In the 2024-25 Premier League season, Bruno Fernandes alone created more chances than Pereira.
Sergio Romero
The Argentine goalkeeper performed commendably as United’s secondary goalkeeper, yet indications suggested that his tenure in Manchester was nearing its conclusion in 2021.
He’s still an active player at the age of 37, continuing to play for Boca Juniors, joining other notable former Manchester United teammates such as Marcos Rojo and Edinson Cavani.
Nemanja Matic
In 2021, United fans voted to sell Nemanja Matic, yet the Serbian midfielder stayed with the club for another year before joining Roma in 2022.
Following a brief stint with Rennes, the 36-year-old joined Lyon in January, where he remains active at the Groupama Stadium to this day.
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Juan Mata
By the end of 2021, Mata was playing only a small role in the United team and his status as a top-level player seemed fleeting.
He left the club over the summer in 2022 and signed with Galatasaray on a free transfer.
The Spanish player has had difficulty finding a long-term base after leaving United, experiencing temporary stays in Turkey and Japan before settling in Australia.
At present, he is a key player for Western Sydney Wanderers and is one of the most well-known figures competing in the Australian A-League.
Anthony Martial
Manchester United fans have continued to hold onto hope that Marcus Rashford will recapture the form that made him a prolific goal scorer in the 2019-20 season, when he scored 23 goals in total across all tournaments.
During his most recent season with the club, he barely approached his previous goal-scoring standards, and his prolonged injury issues made it painfully evident that his departure the previous summer was a long-overdue decision.
After exercising his freedom as a free agent, he ultimately chose to proceed with joining Greek club AEK Athens, elevating to a total of five goals in twelve appearances to date.
Jesse Lingard
Given Lingard was previously on loan at West Ham when the survey was conducted, it’s not surprising that many Manchester United fans expressed a desire to see him sold.
Although he struggled for West Ham during the second half of the 2020-21 season, he remained at Old Trafford for the next season, which unfortunately turned out to be a poor decision.
The 32-year-old player appears to have revitalized his career after a relatively quiet period with Nottingham Forest, now enjoying a renewed sense of purpose while playing for FC Seoul in South Korea.
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Lee Grant
The veteran goalkeeper was on Manchester United’s books for four years, but only made two senior appearances at Old Trafford.
At the end of the 2021-2022 season, Grant retired the gloves and now serves as the goalkeeper coach for Ipswich Town.
David de Gea
Although some United supporters still strongly believe De Gea should be a part of the team, the 2021 survey clearly shows that a majority of fans favoured his transfer.
In his peak, the Spanish player was considered among the finest goalkeepers globally, but his performance gradually declined and accuracy suffered in his latter years.
After a period of prolonged discussion, he chose to depart the club in 2023 and spent a year without a team affiliation before signing with Fiorentina at the onset of the summer season.
The interval appears to be quite effective, as the 34-year-old seems to have made a successful beginning to his new life in Florence.
Tahith Chong
Chong ended his two-year loan spell with his parent club United to make a permanent transfer to Birmingham City in 2022.
He made a strong impression at St. Andrew’s and Luton Town attracted him in 2023, where he still remains a player at Kenilworth Road.
Fred
By the start of 2021, Manchester United supporters had grown tired of the using a midfield pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred and voted overwhelmingly to see the sale of the Brazilian.
He parted ways with the club in 2023 and moved to Turkish team Fenerbahce where he is currently active.
