What has been Man Utd’s best ever outgoing transfer?

[Denis' cuff]

Yeah, I don't think the Beckham sale really belongs in this thread. Arguably undervalued, still had a few good years left in him, and didn't help United's midfield struggles as they took another 4 years to win the league. I get the Beckham out/Cristiano in angle, but they performed such different functions (Beckham a middle third player, Cristiano a final third one) that on the park it would never have needed to be that way. Obviously as you say the non-footballing reasons were worth the sale alone, but ultimately United still lost out when Beckham left.

Ronaldo wasn’t the striker he subsequently became, so not that much different roles. CR was a wide/right sided player/winger until he became a striker in his latter year or two.

Probably should’ve got more for Beckham and Ruud but don’t think we lost out on Beckham at all. He’d developed an air of negativity long before he left. He wasn’t a permanent fixture for Madrid like he was here and never hit those heights. In fact, he was bobbins for his last two and a half seasons, looking entirely disinterested for most of it. Amazing how this is all forgotten.

As for Welbeck; it was hilarious how he scored (I think a brace) shortly after his move and Arsenal fans were squealing and sniggering like they’d been given Messi for 2m And Fergie hadn’t a clue. They know better now.

 

[AgentSmith]

Yup. I think the original plan had been to play Kagawa behind Rooney, but then Van Persie came on the market the same summer Kagawa was brought in, and by the time Sir Alex decided to retire he figured it made sense to shift Rooney on.

Having said that, it's also worth remembering that Rooney was the standout player by an absolute mile in the Moyes season, especially the first half. So the new contract didn't look really stupid until a couple of years later.

True, it’s easy to be critical when using the advantage of hindsight.

It’s more relevant as further evidence of Fergie’s ability to know the exact right time to move an established player on.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

For those who have mentioned Welbeck - that was a good call.

Kieran Richardson is a good one. Sold him for about £5.5m and never regretted it.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Ronaldo wasn’t the striker he subsequently became, so not that much different roles. CR was a wide/right sided player/winger until he became a striker in his latter year or two.

Probably should’ve got more for Beckham and Ruud but don’t think we lost out on Beckham at all. He’d developed an air of negativity long before he left. He wasn’t a permanent fixture for Madrid like he was here and never hit those heights. In fact, he was bobbins for his last two and a half seasons, looking entirely disinterested for most of it. Amazing how this is all forgotten.

As for Welbeck; it was hilarious how he scored (I think a brace) shortly after his move and Arsenal fans were squealing and sniggering like they’d been given Messi for 2m And Fergie hadn’t a clue. They know better now.

when you view RVN (for Carrick), and Beckham (for Ronaldo) in terms of the replacements - they look like good transfers.

definitely think both were really undervalued though. Especially RVN.

just looking at his Real career - I didn’t realise it was so injury ridden.

 

[BR7]

Selling a clearly crocked Whiteside was also good business.

I love Everton

Brilliant

 

[BR7]

I haven’t read all the posts so if anyone’s already mentioned this sorry, Lee Sharpe. Good player was boogalee

 

[Manoucha09]

In terms of outcome, it has to be Ruud. It was a huge risk to take at the time by Fergie as we had a couple of poor seasons, many thought it was a mistake at the time. We got a good fee for an ageing striker who then went on to show that we probably wouldn't have missed him much - I think only one good season with Real. The benefit for our team in making Ronaldo and Rooney the main men was immaculate. I still feel the trio of Saha, Rooney and Ronaldo when played together was the best and it was a real shame that Saha couldn't stay fit.

Another good transfer out would be Tim Howard. We got Van Der Sar as a replacement the year before and still managed to sell Howard for more than we paid for VDS. Howard wasn't the worst keeper but replacing him with VDS for less money was a masterclass.

Finally, while not a transfer and definitely not a popular one, Cantona left at the right time imo. Obviously with hindsight we went on to win the treble two years later, but still I think the class of 92 were ready to take the mantle along with the striking partnership of Yorke and Cole. Would have been hard trying to fit Cantona into that team.

 

[Gio]

Ronaldo wasn’t the striker he subsequently became, so not that much different roles. CR was a wide/right sided player/winger until he became a striker in his latter year or two.

Probably should’ve got more for Beckham and Ruud but don’t think we lost out on Beckham at all. He’d developed an air of negativity long before he left. He wasn’t a permanent fixture for Madrid like he was here and never hit those heights. In fact, he was bobbins for his last two and a half seasons, looking entirely disinterested for most of it. Amazing how this is all forgotten.

When I say 'lost out', what I'd say is that the United midfield was poor from 2003-2006 and he could have made a big contribution to offsetting the issues you had, particularly in more central areas with Keane finishing and Scholes going off the boil, while the other signings were poor. It was still the right decision to move him on for off-the-field reasons (the circus around him and Ferguson's need to build a new team without the dominant personalities of the treble-winners).

He was first choice for Real pretty much throughout his tenure there. He played 40+ games every season until his final campaign (when he was finally dropped, and then put back in the team and became Real's best player as they came back to win the title).

 

[Foxbatt]

Mark Hughes to Barca for 2 million. We got him back for 1.8 million. He came up thru the ranks so we didn't pay anything to get him.

 

[caid]

When I say 'lost out', what I'd say is that the United midfield was poor from 2003-2006 and he could have made a big contribution to offsetting the issues you had, particularly in more central areas with Keane finishing and Scholes going off the boil, while the other signings were poor. It was still the right decision to move him on for off-the-field reasons (the circus around him and Ferguson's need to build a new team without the dominant personalities of the treble-winners).

He was first choice for Real pretty much throughout his tenure there. He played 40+ games every season until his final campaign (when he was finally dropped, and then put back in the team and became Real's best player as they came back to win the title).

Bechkham wasn't a central midfielder, the few games he played there were distinctly mediocre.

 

[Gio]

Bechkham wasn't a central midfielder, the few games he played there were distinctly mediocre.

But in that 2003-2007 period the game was changing and two-man midfields were disappearing and getting replaced by three-man units. That change would have suited Beckham because he was far more suited to an RCM role in a three compared to a traditional CM role in a two. And he split his time in Madrid between the middle of midfield and a right-sided role, so he was transitioning inside at that point in his career in any case. Meanwhile, your central midfield in those years was broken.

 

[SirScholes]

Getting lingard out in any manor

 

[Maticmaker]

A complicated deal which involved Keith Gillespie going to Newcastle whilst they gave us Andy Cole. Scenes of the geordies yelling at Keegan at St James Park asking why was Cole sold, and Keegan saying they got an equally talented player in Gillespie in return.

Gillespie never really excelled despite being highly rated back then, and Beckham came through later that year and the rest is history as they say.

Didn't Gillespie have problems off the field, and which we apparently didn't tell Keegan about?

 

[Alfie092]

In hindsight If we’d sold DDG for £45 million that would have been up there.

How much do you think he would go for now if sold this summer?

 

[Ali Dia]

Hardly. He would have had a few CL’s in his cabinet and we would have hated him for leaving. Who knows how much of his so-called decline is down to lack of motivation for playing for a team with zero title credentials the last few years and counting.

I never try to second guess players motivations but if he’s homesick or got lots of stuff going on back in Spain and not fully happy in Manchester but getting paid too much to leave and he’s only really here for money anymore then that’s a problem.

How much do you think he would go for now if sold this summer?

It would be a loan with us paying most of his wages. Another Sanchez situation.

 

[drunkmonkmeth]

Schneiderlin, my lord the clamour for him on this place
How on Earth we almost got our money back I’ll never know.

He seemed like a class plauer at southampton but never made th3 step up.

 

[Green_Red]

The best player we've sold is probably Forlan. He had a great run after he left us. Villareal got a deal at £2.88mil.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Surely its got to be Ronaldo. When you put together value for money we got out of him and transfer fee. May not have wanted him to go but Man utd certainly made their money.

The Club didn't benefit from his sale though. We got £80m and replaced him with Antonio Valencia who cost £16m and the rest clearly went into the Glazers back pockets. The club would have benefitted more from keeping him. Marketing value and what we would have won with him still here would have outweighed the transfer fee.

 

[The Cat]

Didn't Gillespie have problems off the field, and which we apparently didn't tell Keegan about?

Lost millions gambling.

 

[King Azaz the Unabridged]

In terms of outcome, it has to be Ruud. It was a huge risk to take at the time by Fergie as we had a couple of poor seasons, many thought it was a mistake at the time. We got a good fee for an ageing striker who then went on to show that we probably wouldn't have missed him much - I think only one good season with Real.

He was great in his second season for them too, just had more injury issues. But yeah, that was a sale that worked out perfectly for everyone with United and Madrid winning consecutive titles immediately after the sale.

Howard is a good shout too, and he went on to have a great PL career. Overall it has to be Schneiderlin as a bunch of people have said, he was legitimately awful and was still somehow sold for a decent price.

 

[GoldanoGraham]

How much do you think he would go for now if sold this summer?

We would never be able to offload him now after the daft contract we gave him.....

 

[Sandikan]

Clearly Ronaldo.

He went on to score 100s, win everything, and cement his name as one of the best of all time.

No wait, have I missed the point of this thread?

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Clearly Ronaldo.

He went on to score 100s, win everything, and cement his name as one of the best of all time.

No wait, have I missed the point of this thread?

 

[united_99]

Ronaldo wasn’t the striker he subsequently became, so not that much different roles. CR was a wide/right sided player/winger until he became a striker in his latter year or two.

Probably should’ve got more for Beckham and Ruud but don’t think we lost out on Beckham at all. He’d developed an air of negativity long before he left. He wasn’t a permanent fixture for Madrid like he was here and never hit those heights. In fact, he was bobbins for his last two and a half seasons, looking entirely disinterested for most of it. Amazing how this is all forgotten.

As for Welbeck; it was hilarious how he scored (I think a brace) shortly after his move and Arsenal fans were squealing and sniggering like they’d been given Messi for 2m And Fergie hadn’t a clue. They know better now.

Becks was great and focused until that goal against Greece where the whole nation started to view their captain as some kind of God. After that he was still good but didn’t work as hard as previously, his already mega celebrity status and off field drama increased further and when Fergie made a u-turn in 2001/02 to stay at United it was more or less the end of Becks here.

But in that 2003-2007 period the game was changing and two-man midfields were disappearing and getting replaced by three-man units. That change would have suited Beckham because he was far more suited to an RCM role in a three compared to a traditional CM role in a two. And he split his time in Madrid between the middle of midfield and a right-sided role, so he was transitioning inside at that point in his career in any case. Meanwhile, your central midfield in those years was broken.

Yeah we could have still benefitted by keeping him but tbh most likely it wouldn’t have been enough anyway to overtake Arsenal and then Chelsea between 2004-2006.

 

[wolvored]

£25 mill for Beckham which at the time looked bad, but with his toxic relationship with Fergie was only going to get worse. It also paved the way for another no 7 to come in, and we couldn't have done any better.

 

[Fitchett]

Getting good money from Everton in the late 80's, when Norman Whiteside was clearly crocked. And £4m from Leeds in 1996 for Lee Sharpe, who used to be absent for months at a time for us.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Getting lingard out in any manor

Yeah probably does live in a manor, he is a multi millionaire after all.

 

[norm87cro]

Lukaku is harsh IMO he clearly has some quality to him and despite his selling price we still brought in Maguire for a similar amount. It kind of has to be RVN not because of the money but it gave a freedom to both Wazza and Ronaldo. Aldo I'm a big fan of Ruud