Mistakes Made? 3 Players That Manchester United Shouldn’t Have Sold After Ferguson Retired

“Manchester United are in a state of transition” Manchester United’s manager Louis van Gaal said this in an interview when asked about the poor performance of the team throughout the season. The Dutch managers spend more the 250 million in order to make Manchester United a European heavyweight, but that never happened.

Van Gaal completely transformed Manchester United by selling their experienced players and bringing some new faces in the squad. A change was necessary, because after a disastrous season under David Moyes, players lost confidence. Some big names were introduced in the squad like Angel Di Maria, Falcao, Daley Blind and what not.

Fast forward, in the recent season that past, the team was one of the worst sides in front of the goal. Call it injuries or whatever, the team never looked like a threat. They ended the season with the highest percentage of possession to their name, and that is not something to be very proud of.

Alex Ferguson won the league in 2012-13 season with the same squad that Moyes had. The Scottish manager decided to go with the same squad the following season, but the results were very reluctant. And after van Gaal’s arrival, many fan favourites left the squad in order to peruse their career in the sport.

So here, we list 3 players that Manchester United shouldn’t have sold-

1. Rafael-

Remember the Brazilian full back who scored a screamer against QPR in the 2012-13 season. Well, he was considered as one of the best defenders at that time. Yes, he had a poor season under David Moyes, but you cannot blame a single player for that downturn in form.

With Louis van Gaal coming to Manchester United, Rafael found himself lagging behind in the Dutch man’s philosophy. Rafael went on to join the French side Lyon on a four year deal. His sale was obviously an illogical approach by the manager, and looking at the struggles that Manchester United are facing in the full back position, it is fair to say that Rafael’s departure did hurt the team some way or the other.

2. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez-

Famously known as a ‘Little Pea’, Hernandez was brought by Alex Ferguwon, and the Scottish made Chicharito a fan favourite from nowhere. During the tenure of Alex Ferguson, the Mexican international was also known as a super sub. I still remember how he came on from the bench and scored a hattrick against Aston Villa after being a goal down twice.

He was one of those unfortunates, who had no place in van Gaal’s plan and eventually, the 27-year-old Little Pea was sold to Bayern Leverkusen in a reported fee of £7.3 m. In his very first season with the German side, he became a first team player and scored 17 goals in his 26 appearances. And as United lacked the entire season in their attacking front, it can be clearly mentioned that selling him was one of the biggest mistakes that Manchester United made recently.

3. Nani-

Almost every Manchester United fan would agree over the fact that Nani’s departure was one of the most emotional moment. Nani always played his games with a spirit to win. He loved to take on defenders, and he was widely praised for taking a shot from nowhere. Yes, he was not the most consistent performer, but he always managed to find a way out.

With Louis van Gaal’s arrival was announced, he was sent on loan to his previous club Sporting Lisbon in 2014. And as his loan spell ended last season, he was sold to the Turkish side Fenerbahce for a fee of £4.25m. Nani had a wonderful 2015-16 season in Turkey, where he scored 8 goals and created 65 chances for the side.