Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Ranking seven players excelling since leaving Man Utd, including three massive transfer mistakes

Marcus Rashford, Alvaro Carreras excelling at other clubs

Ranking seven players excelling after leaving Man Utd

While Manchester United got a much-needed win against Chelsea under their belts on Saturday, several stars who have left either permanently or on loan in recent times continue to excel at their current/new clubs – and TEAMtalk has ranked seven of them.

The Red Devils eased the pressure slightly on Ruben Amorim with that win over the weekend, with the Man Utd boss still looking to put his stamp on the team – especially when it comes to his unwavering conviction to his preferred formation and way of playing.

That led to some players, who either did not fit or were deemed simply not good enough, being forced out the door over the summer.

However, the Old Trafford outfit also let some top talents slip away during Erik ten Hag’s tenure at the club, and TEAMtalk ranks seven players who have departed over the last few years who are now making headlines elsewhere…

7. Andre Onana (Trabzonspor)

It’s only a very small sample size so far, but Onana has to be on the list given the impact he has made in Turkey after just two games – especially when it comes to his struggles at Man Utd.

After months of speculation over his future and countless errors since being brought to Old Trafford by Ten Hag in the summer of 2023, Onana was shipped off to Trabzonspor on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign.

The arrival of highly-rated stopper Senne Lammens meant Amorim was happy to see the back of Onana, even if the other goalkeeping options at the club are hardly convincing when it comes to Altay Bayindir and veteran Tom Heaton.

Onana is already making a huge impression at his new club, though, earning a Man of the Match display on his debut against Fenerbahce before launching a 60-yard assist in his second game in a draw with Gaziantep.

The 29-year-old being on the list must be tempered by the fact that it’s still so early in his days in Turkey. But in terms of how things had turned so sour at United, this is night and day so far.

6. Antony (Real Betis)

The former £86million signing was one of the biggest flops in Man Utd history, scoring just 12 goals and adding five assists in almost 100 games for the club.

Amorim quickly realised that Antony would not fit into his stringent 3-4-2-1 formation, one that does not utilise genuine wingers, and the Brazilian was shipped out on loan to Betis in January.

During his six-month stint in Spain, Antony flourished away from the pressures of being a United player as he scored nine times and laid on five assists in 26 games for Betis.

That impact convinced the Andalusian outfit to splash out just £21.65m on the attacker this summer, with United taking a more than £60m loss on the transfer.

The reason why he’s not higher on the list is that he has not started the new campaign in a similar fashion, playing just 161 minutes of action so far without registering a goal or an assist.

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5. Marcus Rashford (Barcelona)

Once again, it’s only a small sample size, but Rashford is having the time of his life at Barca – a club he has always dreamed of playing for.

Having failed to fit into Amorim’s rigid system – he’s not the first – Rashford has made a decent start to life in Catalonia, even if it is just a loan move for now.

After showing flashes during his first few LaLiga outings and grabbing his first assist in a rout of Valencia, Rashford then announced himself on the Champions League stage when he returned to England with a brilliant brace in Barcelona’s win at Newcastle.

Rashford needs to be careful, however, when it comes to not repeating those same off-the-field mistakes he made during his time at Man Utd.

He was dropped back down to the bench for the weekend win over Getafe after arriving late for a team meeting, and Hansi Flick is not a manager you want to get on the wrong side of.

Any chances of a permanent move could depend on such matters, although Barca’s continued financial constraints could still scupper that anyway.

4. Anthony Elanga (Newcastle)

Man Utd offloaded Elanga to Nottingham Forest for just £15m during the 2023 summer transfer window, with the player going from strength to strength since his Old Trafford exit.

The Swede made just 55 appearances for United without ever establishing himself as a first-team regular, but went on to chalk up 31 goal involvements during his two campaigns at The City Ground.

That form led to Forest somewhat surprisingly accepting a £55m bid from Newcastle for his services over the summer, with Elanga so far failing to register on the stats sheet despite some impressive displays for Eddie Howe’s side.

It could be argued, of course, that being an out-and-out winger, Elanga would struggle to get into Amorim’s team anyway – although he does have the sort of engine that could see him play as a wing-back, to counter that argument.

3. Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)

Given United’s goalkeeper struggles over the last few seasons, letting Henderson join Palace in the summer of 2023 after an impressive loan stint at Nottingham Forest, has to go down as a major error by the club’s decision-makers at the time.

In 72 appearances for Palace, he has let in just 89 goals and kept 26 cleansheets. Henderson also showed off his penalty-saving qualities in last season’s FA Cup final as he kept out Omar Marmoush’s effort in a famous 1-0 win over Manchester City.

Just a few months later he saved two more spot-kicks in a shootout win over Liverpool in the Community Shield, to further cement his place in Palace folklore.

Yes, Henderson does make the odd mistake – what keeper doesn’t – but he remains a more solid option than any other keeper on United’s books, albeit nothing has been seen of Lammens in a red shirt as yet.

2. Alvaro Carreras (Real Madrid)

Given United’s continued issues in the left-back/left wing-back position, Carreras has to be considered as one that got away.

After the Red Devils beat out several rivals to sign Carreras from Real back in 2020, he left the club permanently to join Benfica in 2024 for just £5m after starring during a loan stint in Portugal.

The 22-year-old Spaniard excelled as he made 52 appearances across all competitions for Benfica last season, including 10 in the Champions League.

In July of this year, Carreras returned to Real, signing for his boyhood club on a six-year deal reportedly worth €50m (£43m).

He made his debut for the club in a 1-0 win over Osasuna in August and has not looked back since, having become a regular starter for Xavi Alonso’s men.

1. Scott McTominay (Napoli)

Surely the most glaring error of the lot when it comes to United and Amorim’s continued struggles to find the right kind of balance in their midfield.

Yes, United’s hands were tied with PSR at the time, but letting the Scotland international leave for just £25m when he was coming into his prime was sheer madness.

McTominay has since gone on to become one of the top midfielders in Italian football and played a massive part in Napoli’s Serie A title success last season, scoring 13 goals and assisting six more.

The box-to-box midfielder, who is still only 28, was also on the 30-man shortlist for the  2025 Ballon d’Or, to add further salt into Man Utd wounds.

READ MORE ➡️ Amorim sack? Five Man Utd players who could be surplus to requirements for a new manager

Manchester United Marcus Rashford Scott McTominay Andre Onana Antony

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