5 players Manchester United should have never sold
Manchester United have a reputation for signing the best of players. Over the years, they have brought some quality players into the Premier League but at the same time, United have let some key players leave.
There have been instances where the Red Devils have had no control over when some of their players had a desire to leave. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, was one such player United couldn't convince to stay longer, at least back then in 2009.
Manchester United have let key players leave
However, there have also been cases where Manchester United have allowed players to leave, undervaluing their actual worth to the club.
Irrespective of the reasons behind it, things have backfired for Manchester United after selling some important players. On that note, let's have a look at the five players Manchester United should have never sold in the first place:
#5 Diego Forlan
Diego Forlan started his career with Independiente in the Argentinian league. In the winter of 2002, he was very close to joining Middlesbrough in the Premier League but Manchester United swooped in at the last minute to hijack the deal.
In his days, the Uruguayan was a very technically gifted and hardworking striker upfront. To add, he was very effective with either foot. Forlan played for more than three seasons with Manchester United. In the process, he scored 10 goals in 64 appearances. The statistics may have been underwhelming but he struggled to get regular time with the Red Devils.
#OTD in 2004 - Diego Forlan joined Villarreal from Manchester United for 2M
• 58 goals in 121 games
Won the Pichichi and European Golden Shoe in his first season https://t.co/0rT71XMqFG
In the summer of 2004, he was strongly linked with a move away to Spain as he ended up joining Villarreal. He spent three seasons with Villarreal followed by four seasons with Atletico Madrid. In those seven seasons, he scored 127 goals in 240 appearances in La Liga. United surely let go of a dangerous striker back then.
#4 Ander Herrera
Manchester United tried to sign Ander Herrera on a number of occasions before successfully signing him in 2014. The Spanish midfielder was signed to play under the management of Louis van Gaal.
The former Athletic Bilbao midfielder is a tenacious player with intense energy at his disposal. He's a competitive box-to-box player with plenty of aggression. Being a Spaniard he's technically sound and good at passing. It's safe to say that he's one of the most passionate players and that was evident during his time at Manchester United.
You got to be happy for Ander Herrera. Man was refused a new contract by Manchester united, now he's playing at top form with Lionel Messi. Class. https://t.co/bEcAFUKkuW
Herrera fought left, right and center to win the ball, allowing his attackers to do their job. He was quite participative in the attack. In a surprise chain of events, after five seasons at United, the Premier League giants were reluctant to renew the Spaniard's contract. It was quite a shocking call, especially when the 20-time Premier League Champions have been struggling to have a quality defensive midfielder for the past few years.
If Herrera was not at PSG and still around at Old Trafford, Manchester United could have really used a player like him right now.