Manchester United's past came back to bite them as former Red Devil Anthony Elanga scored against them for Forest in a 1-0 defeat on Tuesday - bringing back memories of other stars who departed too early
Comments
Sport
Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga is just one player Manchester United may have let go too early after his goal against them on Tuesday night
(Image: PA)
Anthony Elanga sent the perfect message to Manchester United on Tuesday night after scoring a brilliant goal against his old side in Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win.
Elanga was deemed surplus to requirements when he was sold to Forest for about £15million in 2023, but the winger has gone from strength to strength at the City Ground and you could make an argument that the Sweden star would get in the current United starting XI.
Article continues below
The 22-year-old now has six goals and eight assists this season. Only Bruno Fernandes (35) has more goals and assists combined than Elanga (28) since he arrived at Forest, and that speaks volumes.
While some United fans will question whether they let Elanga go too early, others will reflect on previous players who may have departed too soon.
Mirror Footballhas taken a look back at United players who should have been given more time at Old Trafford.
READ MORE: Anthony Elanga makes Man Utd feelings clear after inflicting another blow to former clubREAD MORE: Ruben Amorim knows who is to blame after Anthony Elanga embarrassed Man Utd
Danny Welbeck
A 34-year-old veteran forward who has outscored any current Manchester United player this season.
Danny Welbeck has not been a prolific goalscorer throughout his career, but he has remained somewhat consistent and Brighton are reaping the benefits.
Welbeck has eight goals in all competitions for the Seagulls this season, with four assists. He's played 28 times and is helping Fabian Hurzeler's men push for a place in Europe - while United look likely to finish in mid-table.
Danny Welbeck
Brighton's Danny Welbeck has scored more goals than any Manchester United forward this season
There wasn't much of a fuss made when Welbeck was sold to Arsenal for around £16m in 2014, and while he didn't pull up too many trees at the Emirates, he still scored 32 goals for the Gunners and won two trophies.
He has now been with Brighton for the last five seasons, showing how reliable he can be for the team with 34 goals in 153 appearances. His consistent displays have led to ex-team-mate Wayne Rooney calling for United to re-sign him.
"Danny, he's great to play alongside and if I'm being completely honest, I'd would probably still like to see him here playing for Manchester United," he said. "He scored goals throughout his career, had injuries in early part of his career, but seems to have got over them and he's having a fantastic season."
Gerard Pique
Probably the best player United had on their books that didn't go on to enjoy success with the club.
The legendary centre-back initially started in Barcelona's La Masia academy before deciding to join United in 2004, but the defender struggled to convince Sir Alex Ferguson he was good enough for first team starts as he was forced to play for the youth and reserve teams in his first season.
In the 2005-06 season, he was unable to get into a team that had Rio Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre as the starting centre-backs, while Wes Brown was also there too.
Gerard Pique tackles Marcus Rashford
Gerard Pique will go down as one of Manchester United's biggest regrets
The next season he was loaned to Real Zaragoza, before returning to United for 2007-08 and playing 13 times in all competitions, before boyhood club Barcelona decided to pay the £5million buyout clause in his contract.
The rest is history. Pique immediately became a focal point in the team's defence and would make a total of 616 appearances, winning La Liga nine times and the Champions League three times.
He was part of an incredible team featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta that dominated European football and he is regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs in recent history.
To say United's handling of Pique was a misfire would be a big understatement. The one that got away.
Paul Pogba (the first time)
Everyone knew what a talent United had on their hands with Pogba when he arrived the club's academy in 2009 as he dazzled for the Under-18s and was quickly promoted to Sir Alex's first team squad.
Pogba would only play seven times for the club in his first spell during the 2011-12 season before deciding not to sign a new contract with United and leaving for Juventus on a free transfer.
The Frenchman later explained he was left "heartbroken" when Sir Alex refused to bring him on multiple times, despite a number of midfielders missing for the club.
He said: "There was no midfield here – people were injured, [Paul] Scholes wasn’t there, I think he’d retired already and it was before he came back. Rafael played in midfield with Ji-sung Park and I didn’t come on in this game. We lost the game.
Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba left Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 after being frustrated over a lack of opportunities
“I was on the bench warming up and I thought I would come on and it was a big opportunity for me. I didn’t and things happen. The manager has a choice in everything but that day is when I had my heart broken."
However, Sir Alex accused him of lacking respect by choosing to join Juventus. He said: "It is disappointing. I don't think he showed us any respect at all, to be honest. I'm quite happy that if they [footballers] carry on that way, they're probably better doing it away from us."
Pogba would go on to play the best years of his career at Juventus, helping them win eight trophies, before earning the Italian club £89m when he returned to United in 2016 - before dividing fans with some inconsistent displays.
He then returned to Juventus - again on a free transfer - in 2022. It's fair to say this was another one United got very wrong.
David de Gea
The role of a Manchester United goalkeeper is under constant scrutiny, as Andre Onana is discovering now, but the Cameroonian has been so poor since coming to United in 2023 that some fans might be wondering why they ever let go of De Gea.
De Gea was a Sir Alex Ferguson signing in 2011, arriving from Atletico Madrid for around £18m. He had the difficult task of replacing the legendary Edwin van der Sar and at first he struggled and was regularly targeted by opposition players.
But he eventually made the No 1 shirt his own and went on to spend 12 seasons at Old Trafford, playing 545 times.
David de Gea
David de Gea has rebuilt himself with Serie A side Fiorentina
De Gea had moments of uncertainty in between the sticks and could be guilty of making the odd mistake, but he was a brilliant shot-stopper and proved to be a reliable No 1 for United as they navigated a difficult time after Sir Alex's retirement.
United supporters grew frustrated with De Gea's lapses of concentration towards the end of his spell and the arrival of Onana was seen as an upgrade on the Spaniard, but he has been anything but.
This season - after spending a year without a club - De Gea is back in form at 34 after joining Italian side Fiorentina, making a string of top saves. It seems you never know what you've got until it's gone.
Jaap Stam
Stam was a superb defender for United but it's a surprise he only spent three full seasons with the Red Devils before joining Lazio in 2001.
The Dutchman added steel to United's back line after playing 127 times for the club as he won three straight Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
His exit came after releasing an autobiography in which he criticised Sir Alex - but ex-team-mate Gary Neville claimed the squad were still "mystified" by him leaving and felt the revelations in the book were irrelavent.
Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam's United exit in 2001 came as a surprise after just three seasons at Old Trafford
"Jaap Stam was sold which was a bombshell as big as Sparky leaving, even for the players – especially for the players. We were as mystified as anyone," Neville recalled.
"All kinds of conspiracies swirled around because Jaap’s exit came on the back of his ‘controversial’ autobiography, but I’ve always believed that the book was a minor factor, perhaps irrelevant."
Stam would go on to play for AC Milan after a three-year spell with Lazio before returning to Holland with Ajax to round off his career. He made a total of 553 appearances in football, scoring 26 times.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.