Manchester United rejects XI in the Premier League
Manchester United have arguably been the biggest English club of the Premier League era and during this period, football has been treated to the skills of some of the world’s best players. One of the hallmarks of that era had been Sir Alex Fergusson’s willingness to part with the old and underperforming players and bring in new ones.
Plenty of good players have left Old Trafford over the years, in search of greener pastures and some have returned to the Premier League to enhance their reputations at their new clubs.
Here is a team made of 11 players who once were part of Manchester United, but are currently playing elsewhere in the Premier League:
Goalkeeper
Tom Heaton
Tom Heaton was one of the 24 players that Sir Alex Ferguson took to Russia for the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea and as the No. 3 keeper behind Edwin Van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak, he sat in the stands and watched as his mentor took centre stage in the defining shootout. However, that was as far as it got for the 30-year-old goalkeeper at Manchester United, as he never walked on the pitch as a first team player.
Instead, Heaton was sent on multiple loans spells all over England, which included spells at Swindon Town and Queens Park Rangers, before finally moving on to Cardiff City permanently. However, three seasons later – including a year at Bristol City – he moved to Burnley where he soon established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper.
It was at Turf Moor that the English international finally managed to establish himself and he has been instrumental for Burnley.