It’s time to catch up on what has happened with the players who were sold by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man Utd.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was tentatively linked with replacing Erik ten Hag at Manchester United in October.
“You are my Solskjaer, my Ole Solskjaer,” is still sung by supporters on matchdays and Solskjaer remains universally loved at Old Trafford for his achievements as a United player.
His stint as United manager ended when he was sacked in November 2021. Some still believe that he was unfairly treated and the Norwegian took some time out of the game following his emotional departure, but finally took his next job in management with Turkish side Besiktas.
So, what happened to the 16 players who Solskjaer allowed to leave during his United tenure?
Angel Gomes
Gomes made his United debut at 16 years and 263 days old, making him the youngest player to represent the club since 1953. Expectations were high, but Gomes made just five senior appearances at Old Trafford and left upon the expiry of his contract in the summer of 2020.
The playmaker joined Lille and was immediately sent on loan to Boavista for the 2020/21 campaign. Gomes took huge steps forward when he returned to France and was given his England debut in September.
Gomes is out of contract with Lille this summer and he’s been linked with top European sides.
Dan James
Dan James was signed from Swansea City for £15million in the summer of 2019 and he made 74 appearances for United, in which he scored nine goals and created nine assists.
Leeds signed James for £25m in August 2021, the most profit United had made on a transfer since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. James still plays at Elland Road and he’s contributed 10 goals and nine assists in the Championship this season, helping Leeds as they look to gain promotion.
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku thrived at Inter Milan after leaving United for £74m in August 2019. He fired Inter to the Serie A title in his second season at the San Siro and was the team’s top goalscorer.
However, he departed Inter after a fallout with Simone Inzaghi and returned to Chelsea for a club-record transfer of £97.5m. Lukaku’s return to Stamford Bridge didn’t go as planned, though, so he returned to Inter on loan for the 2022/23 season and rediscovered his goalscoring form.
He currently plays for Napoli and is the first-choice striker for manager Antonio Conte.
Alexis Sanchez
The signing of Sanchez is one of the worst transfers United have made in the last decade. Sanchez scored just five goals, looking a shadow of the player that Arsenal sold and, after a loan spell at Inter Milan for the 2019/20 season, he joined the Italian outfit permanently. Sanchez now plays for Udinese and is inching closer to retirement at 36 years old.
Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling joined Roma on a season-long loan for the 2019/20 season and that deal was made permanent for an initial fee of £13.6m. The defender spent five years in Italy and relocated to Saudi Arabia last summer, where he plays for Al-Fayha, who are 14th in their division.
Sergio Romero
Romero was an excellent second-choice goalkeeper at United, but he dramatically fell out with Solskjaer when he was dropped against Sevilla for the 2020 Europa League semi-final.
Solskjaer started David de Gea instead and Romero was hurt by the decision. He asked to leave United that summer, although his proposed loan move to Everton was eventually blocked.
The feud worsened when Romero’s wife took to Instagram to hit out against the decision to block his loan move on deadline day, and the stopper was permanently axed from Solskjaer’s plans, which meant he spent his last season frozen out until his contract ran down.
He joined Venezia after leaving United and now plays for Boca Juniors.
Marcos Rojo
Rojo is one of many United players that overstayed their welcome at the club. The Argentinian joined Boca Juniors in his homeland in January 2021 and that move put an end to a disappointing final two-and-a-half years in Manchester, in which he made just 15 appearances for United.
Matteo Darmian
United signed Matteo Darmian for a reported fee of around £13m, although they recovered little of that when the right-back departed to Parma in 2019. Darmian’s next move was to join Inter Milan on a season-long loan for the 2020/21 campaign and he signed permanently after that.
Darmian has made close to 200 appearances for Inter and he’s won Serie A during his time there.
Ashley Young
Ashley Young was an excellent servant in his nine years at United. He made 192 appearances and was given the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband.
Young’s time in Manchester came to an end in the 2020 January window when the converted left-back joined Inter for a fee of £1.2m. He won the Scudetto before joining Aston Villa on a free transfer, and he signed for Everton upon the expiry of his contract in 2023.
Marouane Fellaini
When Marouane Fellaini was signed by David Moyes in 2013, United supporters never thought they’d be sad to see him leave the club, but he became a cult hero against the odds.
The Belgian scored 22 goals in 177 appearances for United and many of those goals were important, which meant he went from being the butt of jokes to being considered a fan favourite.
Fellaini announced his retirement last year, bringing down the curtain on a wonderful career.
Antonio Valencia
Antonio Valencia was underrated. During his decade with United, he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, three Community Shields, and the Europa League.
The former United captain was outstanding for the club at right-back, but it was the right decision from Solskjaer to allow him to leave on a free at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Valencia played for Ecuadorian club LDU Quito and Querétaro in Mexico before retiring in 2021.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah
After loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham, Timothy Fosu-Mensah completed a permanent transfer away from United in the 2022 January window, joining Bayer Leverkusen.
Fosu-Mensah suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly after that move, which has blighted his career. The centre-back was included in seven matchday squads as Leverkusen won the league last season, but he didn’t play a single minute and left as a free agent last summer.
Ander Herrera
Louis van Gaal signed Herrera for United from Athletic Bilbao in 2014 and he spent five successful years at Old Trafford, in which he achieved cult hero status thanks to his spirited displays.
Herrera left United on a free transfer in July 2019, joining PSG on a five-year contract, but he spent just three seasons in Paris and returned to Bilbao in the summer of 2022. Boca Juniors signed Herrera in the last winter window.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson joined United’s academy at the age of six and made his senior debut in 2015. After numerous loan spells away from the club, playing for Wolves, Leeds, Scunthorpe, Tranmere and Oldham, he was released when his contract expired in June 2020.
Following his release, Borthwick-Jackson joined Oldham on a permanent basis. However, he is currently a free agent after spells with Burton Albion, Slask Wroclaw and Ross County.
James Wilson
James Wilson made the dream United debut when he scored a brace at Old Trafford against Hull in the Premier League, but he failed to establish himself as a first-team player and had multiple loans away.
Wilson has played for Aberdeen, Salford, Port Vale and is currently at Northampton Town.
Joel Pereira
Joel Pereira only made one start for United against Crystal Palace in the league in May 2017. The back-up goalkeeper had a staggering six loan moves away from Manchester during his time on the club’s books and he now plays for Reading after a spell with Belgian club RKC Waalwijk.
