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Manchester United is undoubtedly the most successful club in Premier League history. They have won a record 13 Premier League trophies.
The Red Devils also have a long and illustrious history with some of the world's greatest ever players donning their jersey.
The club is always high on drama. They are currently placed at 6th position in the Premier League table. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the caretaker manager at the helm.
For the success of any club, the transfer business must be spot on. However, the best of the best also make mistakes and let go of some players who could have performed exceptionally well for the club had they stayed. Manchester United are no exception.
A plethora of young talents sprout at Manchester United's academy each year. While some make it to the senior team, there are many who are either sold to another club or sent out on loan. There is also a large group of established players who were sold by the Premier League giants.
In case there was a starting XI to be made from the best players sold by The Red Devils in the recent times, it would be a formidable one.
Note: All the players included in the Starting XI are still active footballers.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
Goalkeeper:
Timothy Matthew Howard or simply Tim Howard is a veteran Premier League custodian. The goalkeeper made 399 Premier League appearances overall in which he made 992 saves and conceded 385 goals. He also kept 132 clean sheets.
The New Jersey-born player moved to United in 2003 for US$4 million after spending 5 years with MetroStars (now known as New York Red Bulls). Tim Howard had a brilliant start with The Red Devils -- being their first choice keeper during the 2003-04 season.
However, the prominence of Edwin van der Sar meant fewer first-team opportunities for Tim. He moved to Everton (on loan) ahead of the 2006–07 season and was signed permanently by The Toffees in February 2007. In all, Tim made 77 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions -- winning 3 major trophies with them. Meanwhile, he made overall 414 appearances for Everton in his 10 seasons with them.
Howard was also an integral part of the United States' national team. He made 121 appearances for them. The 39-year-old custodian also holds the World Cup record of making the most saves in a match. He set it when he made 15 saves against Belgium.
The veteran goalkeeper made a return to Major League Soccer in March 2016, and currently plays for the Colorado Rapids.
Defenders: Patrice Evra, Ryan Shawcross, Gerrard Pique, John O'Shea
French footballer Patrice Evra was one of the best left-backs Manchester United ever had. Prior to signing for The Red Devils, Evra had played for Italian clubs Marsala and Monza as well as French clubs Nice and Monaco.
His arrival made him the first choice for Alex Ferguson and Mikael Silvestre had to take a back seat. In his 9 seasons with the Premier League giants, the Senegal-born player made 379 appearances across all competitions and scored 10 goals.
He was also an integral part of the French national team. Evra moved to Juventus on 21 July 2014 but United fans would certainly have hoped that he stayed at the club for a little longer as their defending woes have continued for a long time now.
Post Juventus, Evra played for Marseille in 2017 and is currently with West Ham United.
With Manchester United, Evra won 5 Premier League titles, 3 Football League Cups, 5 FA Community Shields, 1 UEFA Champions League, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup title.
Ryan Shawcross is one of the most experienced defenders in the Premier League. He is currently the captain of Stoke City.
The Chester-born player was a product of Manchester United's youth teams. He made only 2 appearances for The Red Devils but went on to become a legend later. Shawcross was first sent out on loan from United to Belgian club Royal Antwerp in 2007 and then to Stoke City later the same year.
His career is best remembered playing for The Potters. In his 431 appearances for Stoke, Shawcross scored 24 goals. The 31-year-old is still going strong and playing his 12th season with the club even though they were relegated to the Championship last season.
The veteran center-back won the Stoke City F.C. Player of the Year for his sublime performance during the 2013–14 season.
Few people know that Spanish defender Gerrard Pique was also a part of Manchester United once. In his 4 years with the club, he only got 23 appearances in the senior team due to the presence of established center-backs in the side.
He was also loaned out to Real Zaragoza during the 2006–2007 season before going on to sign for his boyhood club FC Barcelona permanently on 27 May 2008. The rest is history and the modern defender is still enjoying a successful time with the La Liga giants.
Pique has won 7 La Liga titles, 6 Copa del Rey titles, 3 UEFA Champions League titles with FC Barcelona apart from winning 11 other major trophies. The tactically versatile player also formed an important part of the Spanish national team until announcing retirement from international football on 11 August 2018. One can only imagine how good it would have been for The Red Devils had Pique stayed with them.
Another extremely versatile player, John O'Shea, was a vital cog in the Manchester United line-up during his prime years. The Waterford-born player is among the most decorated Irish players of all time.
In his 10 seasons with United, O'Shea scored 15 goals in 393 appearances overall. Sunderland roped him in on 7 July 2011 for an undisclosed fee paid to United. After 6 fairly successful seasons with The Black Cats, the Irish legend signed for Reading on 6 June 2018 and is currently playing for them.
He won 14 major trophies with United and could have gone on to help his side win more had he stayed a little longer.
Midfielders: Darren Fletcher, Nani, Angel Di Maria
A product of Manchester United's Youth Academy, Darren Fletcher went on to have a highly successful career. The Dalkeith-born midfielder made 342 appearances overall in 13 seasons and also scored 24 goals for United.
The 34-year-old was also an integral component in the middle of the park for Scotland's national team. His career would have been far more extravagant but the availability of legends such as Carrick, Giggs, and Scholes, and later Ronaldo in the midfield hampered his chances of playing as a regular in the team.
The veteran player was also sidelined during his last few years with United due to ulcerative colitis. Fletcher put pen to paper for West Bromwich Albion on 2 February 2015. He was called a "fantastic professional and fantastic human being" by former United manager Sir Alex Fergurson. The midfielder is currently a part of Stoke City.
Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha -- better known as Nani -- was an important cog in United's midfield for 8 years. The Amadora-born player made a move to The Red Devils for €25 million in July 2007. The 32-year-old failed to find form in his final few years at the club and his game time was also limited due to injuries.
Nani was loaned out to his first club Sporting CP for the 2014–2015 season and signed a permanent contract with Fenerbahçe for the 2015–2016 season. He is currently playing for Sporting CP in what is his 3rd stint with the club.
The right winger possessed brilliant dribbling skills and was also an important part of Portugal's national team. Nani's spell at United yielded 40 goals from 230 appearances. He also won 12 major trophies with them including 4 Premier League titles.
Angel Di Maria is a versatile midfielder. He mainly plays on the right wing but can operate on the left wing as well as an attacking midfielder.
The Argentinian footballer has had a glorious career and got a chance to represent the best clubs around the globe. After 2 seasons with Rosario Central, Di Maria moved to the Portuguese giants Benfica ahead of the 2007–08 season. The midfielder spent 3 seasons with them before he was roped in by the Spanish giants Real Madrid.
The Red Devils eventually landed him ahead of the 2014–15 season. Even though a transfer fee of a whopping £59.7 million had been paid for him to the Los Blancos, Di Maria failed to make much of an impact. In 32 appearances for United, Di Maria scored only 4 goals and was also termed by many pundits as the 'worst signing of the season.'
Di Maria was sold to French champions PSG for an undisclosed fee. He had an immediate impact there and made a record 18 assists in his first season. With 57 goals from 158 appearances overall for PSG, the Argentinian player is still going strong for them.
Forwards: Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin van Persie
Wayne Rooney is Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances overall in 13 seasons. The legendary player joined United from Everton ahead of the 2004-05 season. His deal of £25.6 made him the highest paid teenager of the time as he was only 18. The record-breaking player had some very successful seasons with the club and Old Trafford loved him dearly.
He moved back to his boyhood club Everton on 9 July 2017 and later signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Major League Soccer side D.C. United -- for whom he plays currently. The energetic forward was a versatile player and used in multiple positions while at United.
Rooney was known to be an accurate finisher and scored some breathtaking goals from both inside and outside the box. The forward also scored 53 goals in 120 appearances for the English national team.
Arguably one of the best strikers in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo has had a fantastic career so far and is still going strong. The Funchal-born player spent six seasons with United and scored 118 goals in 292 appearances overall. His move to Real Madrid for a then-record £80 million (€94 million) ahead of the 2009-10 season remains one of the most talked about transfers in football till date.
In 9 seasons with the Los Blancos, the creative striker scored 450 goals in 438 appearances and has transformed himself into a goal-scoring machine over the years.
Ronaldo won 9 major trophies with United including 3 Premier League titles. He has had a solid start to his spell at Juventus as well.
Robin van Persie was once an integral part of the United line-up. The striker began his senior career with Dutch club Feyenoord.
The Rotterdam-born player was roped in by Arsenal ahead of the 2004-05 season. He enjoyed a brilliant spell with The Gunners, scoring 132 goals in 278 appearances for them. The Red Devils procured Persie's services ahead of the 2012–13 season. He made an immediate impact and was the top scorer of the Premier League with 26 goals in his first season with the club -- also getting to lift the Premier League trophy.
However, his next couple of seasons with United were marred by injury and he could not bloom completely. The veteran player is back with Feyenoord and has scored 7 goals in 14 appearances for them this season.
Van Persie also forms a vital cog of Netherlands' national team and helped them reach the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Which Manchester United players do you think should be part of this Starting XI? Do mention in the comments section below.
