Players who should have never been sold in the post-Fergie era?

[Gordon S]

It's kind of amusing that so few remembers the frustration with Rafael being injured all the time

Might be worthy of a separate thread, but i feel almost gaslighted when i see the love he gets on here! Is my memory that bad? I remember him having one good season for us. Other than that he was either injured or just not that good. And i don’t think he has done anything after leaving us that should make us regret the decision either.

 

[G4stars]

Nani, had a few more years left in him

 

[mu4c_20le]

Might be worthy of a separate thread, but i feel almost gaslighted when i see the love he gets on here! Is my memory that bad? I remember him having one good season for us. Other than that he was either injured or just not that good. And i don’t think he has done anything after leaving us that should make us regret the decision either.

Funny because I feel the same way about Blind. In fact, only a handful of people here seem to even remember his lack of pace.

 

[Gordon S]

Funny because I feel the same way about Blind. In fact, only a handful of people here seem to even remember his lack of pace.

Yeah, not worked up over that for some reason, remember him as a clever player with nice and tidy passing. But you are completely right, his lack of pace made us vulnerable regardless of where he played. Made Mata look like a rocket in comparison..

 

[Mr.Plow]

Ibra? I think everyone assumed he was finished after that injury but he's still going strong.

Selling Lukaku only to replace him with Ighalo was stupid.

Nani could still have been immensely useful, as he provided in his last ever appearance.

People are seriously saying Welbeck? Might as well have kept Cleverly and Gibson too.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Evans wasn't good enough, even with hindsight he should have been let go.

Rafael was too injured to be a dependable RB

Zaha should have been kept and developed as he had a potential to be a great player.

Blind is indeed quality and should have been kept.

Smalling wasn't good, and even though Lindelof & Maguire were shit themselves, it wouldn't justify keeping him especially when another club was willing to pay a good fee for him, you all know how bad is the club in selling deadwood players.

The player that we should have kept at all costs was ADM, we lacked an attacking RW who could create and score like ADM, and he could have been an option for us over the years.

 

[Kag]

Herrera and Blind should have stayed for longer than they did.

Something clearly went wrong with Zaha, as he’s turned out to be a good Premier League player, but then I’ve never had him cut out for the very top. Big fish in a small pond suits him nicely.

Evans crops up regularly when this topic comes about, but he completely played his way out of the club, which was ultimately his responsibility.

Other than that I’m struggling. I really liked Smalling, but he probably left at the right time. As did most of the others.

 

[Lost bear]

No lengthy OP. Per the header, four come to mind immediately for me:

- Jonny Evans: had a crisis of confidence that was a fraction of what we’ve seen in others and was rounded on before being booted out of the club despite being the kind of quality, cheap, utilitarian option that could’ve contributed in multiple positions as well as being a solid backup option if/when not a starter. We’ve not had many defenders outright better than him in his post-United career, further highlighting what a stupid sale this was.

- Daley Blind: quality, intelligent footballer with technical ability and an eclectic flexibility across numerous systems. On relatively low wages, a good personality around the club, and comfortable interchanging between starter and bench/sub. Another really dumb sale.

- Wilifred Zaha: needed coaching and nurturing. If he wasn’t knobbing Moyes’ daughter, we pulled the trigger on a solid performer with potential prematurely and unwisely. The kind of player Fergie would have made something of.

- Chris Smalling: lambasted for his ball-playing skills whilst being a very capable defender. Even if not a starter, that’s the kind of player that states you have a strong squad if he’s subbing in for an injured starter. Was sold and not upgraded upon for a net gain of minus however million you want to calculate when all is said and done.

Four for me at the moment, which players fit the bill for you?

For me, Chris Smalling.

 

[McTerminator]

Exaggerate much? We conceded more corners and set pieces in general since he left than we did with him.

Search “Kompany, Corner, Goal, United” odds are you’ll see a clip of Smalling looking lost.

We are terrible at corners though. No arguments there.

 

[Irwin99]

Search “Kompany, Corner, Goal, United” odds are you’ll see a clip of Smalling looking lost.

We are terrible at corners though. No arguments there.

To be fair , Kompany also lost Smalling for quite a few goals. Was quite a funny battle for a few years.