5 players you forgot played for Manchester United

Manchester United spent a lot of money last summer, bringing in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane. Despite improving their squad in certain key areas, the Red Devils haven’t been able to keep up pace with clubs such as Manchester City and Liverpool.

While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last summer, United haven't fared much better under interim manager Ralf Ranknick. It's ironic that a club who are finding it hard to find a suitable manager was once blessed with an all-time great in Sir Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United have let go of many youth academy graduates

Sir Alex Ferguson helped United win 13 Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions League trophies and several other honors during a trophy-laden career at Old Trafford. Although they were the most successful club during the Scot's tenure, a few academy graduates had forgetful careers with the Red Devils.

Let’s look at five players to have played for Manchester United that you probably forgot.

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#5 Ryan Shawcross

Ryan Shawcross went on to become a Stoke City legend

Ryan Shawcross will go down as a Stoke City legend. The defender played 453 times for the Potters between 2007 and 2021. Before his long-lasting relationship with the Staffordshire-based club, Shawcross was at Manchester United.

The Englishman spent six years at Old Trafford, including four years at the academy. He was only able to rack up two appearances under Sir Alex Ferguson due to the sheer number of world-class defenders at the Scottish manager's disposal.

Shawcross went on to become a reliable centre-back for Stoke City. He helped them gain promotion to the Premier League and played ten seasons of top-flight football with them before getting relegated in 2017-18. The former Manchester United man is now an assistant coach at Fort Lauderdale CF.

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#4 Danny Simpson

Danny Simpson was a part of the Leicester City side that won the Premier League

Danny Simpson is a two-time Premier League winner. The right-back was part of the Red Devils’ academy from 2003-2006. Post his graduation, he represented the senior team for four years. But he was often loaned out for some regular game time.

Simpson played eight times for Alex Ferguson’s side. However, he was way down the pecking order at Old Trafford and left the club in 2010. The English defender had two noteworthy spells in the Premier League, first with Newcastle United and then at Leicester City.

Having already won the English top-flight title with United in 2007-08, Simpson won another Premier League winners’ medal when the Foxes won the league against all odds in 2015-16.

Simpson, currently at Bristol City, has had a successful career but isn’t remembered fondly in Manchester.

#3 Joshua King

Joshua King had a decent career with Bournemouth

Joshua King won three trophies at Manchester United, including the 2010-11 Premier League and 2009-10 League Cup. The Norwegian international was a bright talent during his U21 days at the club, which resulted in triumph during the 2012-23 U21 Premier League campaign.

Like most players on the list, King was unable to prominently feature in the first-team picture. The centre-forward joined Blackburn Rovers in 2013 and eventually landed up at AFC Bournemouth two years later. His stay at the Vitality Stadium was quite fruitful.

The 2017 Norway Player of the Year scored 55 goals and registered 20 assists in 185 matches for the Cherries. The 30-year-old now plays for Watford in the Premier League, who are currently involved in a relegation scramble.

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#2 Michael Keane

Michael Keane is a consistent centre-back at Premier League level

Michael Keane spent seven years of his youth career at Manchester United from 2004-2011, before being included in the senior team. Like Shawcross, Keane wasn’t able to pip the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to nail down a starting berth.

The English defender played just five times under Sir Alex Ferguson before seeking regular playing time at Burnley in 2015. Keane won the 2012-13 U21 Premier League with the Red Devils and helped Burnley secure promotion to the Premier League in 2015-16.

The centre-back was a potent defender for The Clarets. As a result, he earned a €28.50 million move to Everton in 2017. Arguably the most relevant player on this list today, Keane has earned 12 caps for England. However, none of his noteworthy contributions came at Old Trafford.

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#1 Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater has been on loan for the past few seasons

Danny Drinkwater, just like everyone else mentioned, was once part of the Manchester United academy. Their stronghold over the Premier League in 1990s and 2000s ensured that the brightest English talents would come through their academy.

After several loan spells away from Old Trafford, he finally joined Leicester City in 2012. Drinkwater was a fantastic player for the Foxes. His major achievement at the King Power Stadium was clinching the 2015-16 Premier League title. The midfielder represented the East Midlands-based club 218 times and was one of the side's most important players.

Chelsea bought the midfielder in 2017 for a sum of €37.90m. The Englishman wasn’t able to replicate his extraordinary displays under Antonio Conte. He has been out on loan at several clubs over the last four years and is currently playing in the Championship for Reading.