Paul Pogba and Manchester United were an unhappy couple. They never really loved each other. It didn’t work out the first time round, and they both made the textbook mistake of going back to a failed relationship.It’ll be different this time, I promise!It never is… It’s never different.
He thrived in Turin. Juventus understood him and he understood Juventus, but Manchester United prised him away from Italy and back to England, where he then spent six seasons showing only flashes of his brilliance as manager after manager struggled to find an ideal role for him.
When Erik ten Hag arrived in 2022, the Frenchman found himself being sent back to Turin as his contract expired.But what about the other players that departed Old Trafford as part of the Dutchman’s shake-up? We’ve revisited the 11 players who left United that summer.
Edinson Cavani
Let’s have it right, Edinson Cavani was asupremegoalscorer. In fact, just recently he scored a goal for Boca Juniors by anticipating that the defender was going to challenge for a ball he was never favourite for and just waited for the defender to f*ck it up, placing himself where he knew the ball would drop, and tapping in an easy finish.
His killer instincts don’t just apply to the here and now—he probably saw that goal coming three days before the game.
By the time Ten Hag arrived in Manchester, Cavani was 35 years old and only likely to be a bit-part player for Man United, and the Uruguayan had already announced his intention to leave the club when his contract was up in the summer. Off he went for a lovely little sojourn in Valencia.
Reece Devine
The left-back who came through Man United’s youth system had spent the previous two seasons on loan at St Johnstone and Walsall. When Ten Hag took the United hotseat, Devine was released and turned up at Swindon Town in League 2.
He’s just signed for National League North side Kidderminster Harriers, following a successful trial.
Jesse Lingard
After returning from his triumphant loan spell at West Ham, Lingard returned, continued to get little to no game time and then left the club for nothing. So it goes. Nottingham Forest snapped J-Lingz up on a one-year contract, at the end of which he spent a little while deciding on his next move.
That next move took him to the other side of the planet—FC Seoul in South Korea. A month later, in March 2024, J-Lingz was publicly called out by his manager, Kim Gi-dong for “lack of effort and physicality.” Shortly after that, Lingard was under the knife—knee surgery.
He’s now back in action and has two K-League goals to his name.
Juan Mata
Juan Mata was a certified veteran by the time Ten Hag took the reins at United. The Spanish legend had made just 16 appearances in the previous two seasons combined, so when his contract expired in the summer of ’22, off he went.
A season in the Turkish Super Lig with Galatasaray was followed by one solitary appearance for Vissel Kobe (yes, Andres Iniesta’s old team) in Japan. Mata is now a free agent and made his punditry debut at Euro 2024 alongside Gary Lineker et al.
D’Mani Mellor
Mellor made one senior appearance for Manchester United, in a 2019 Europa League match vs Astana. And that was the end of that.
The youth academy prospect left United upon the expiration of his contract in summer 2022, and signed for Wycombe Wanderers. A couple of loan moves followed, but Mellor has just left Wycombe after his contract expired. Who knows what’s next?
Connor Stanley
The young winger never made a competitive senior appearance for United. Interestingly, he did go on loan to Atlanta United’s reserve team for a while. Weird. A loan to a reserve team.
Stanley was also released in 2022, and now plays in the seventh tier of English football, for Alvechurch in Worcestershire or, as we imagine his Atlanta pals would call it,Warr-sess-trrr-shy-rrrrr.
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Martin Svidersky
Defensive midfielder Svidersky was plucked from Tatran Presov in his native Slovakia at the age of 18. He never made a senior appearance for the Red Devils but, upon his release, secured himself a move to newly promoted La Liga side Almeria in Spain.
An ACL injury kept him out of action for the end of 2022-23 and half of 2023-24. Upon his return to health, Svidersky was sent to third-tier Murcia on loan, presumably to regain fitness and form.
Dylan Levitt
Welsh midfielder Levitt made his one-and-only senior appearance for United in that same Europa League match against Astana that the aforementioned Mellor played in.
A series of loans followed, but he’s now a first-team regular at Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, and a fully fledged Welsh international.
Andreas Pereira
The Belgian-Brazlian attacking midfielder with the funny little chin beard has had a varied career. He did get a season-and-a-half or so under his belt at Man United between 2018 and 2020, but most of his time was spent out on loan.
Granada, Valencia, Lazio, and finally Flamengo, before Fulham eventually took Pereira off United’s hands in 2022. He’s played in almost every possible game for the Cottagers since signing. Love to see it.
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Tahith Chong
Tahith Jose Girigorio Djorkaef Chong, born in Curacao, Dutch citizen, Mother of African descent, father of Chinese descent, and has lived in England since the age of 16. He’s a proper man of the world, is Chong.
After a successful loan spell at Birmingham City in 2022, the Blues signed him up on a permanent deal. Another good season in the midlands saw Luton Town decide to add the winger to their ranks for their first Premier League campaign. Chong played in all but five of their league matches that saw the Hatters relegated despite some brilliant performances.
James Garner
Garner was highly rated among United fans in the know. The young midfielder had only made a handful of first-team appearances, but impressed in loan spells at Watford and Nottingham Forest.
Many United fans expected Garner would be afforded an opportunity in the first team upon his return, but instead he was sold to Everton for a reported £9m plus add-ons. He’s now a mainstay in the Toffees’ midfield and £9m looks like a snip.
