Erik ten Hag was appointed manager of Manchester United in the summer, and he let several players leave in his first window in charge.
Erik ten Hag was appointed manager of Manchester United in April, and he immediately began planning for his first summer at the club.
Ten Hag spent over £200 million on six players in his first summer in charge of a team, bringing Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony, and Martin Dubravka to Old Trafford.
There were also a number of departures from the United squad, with 11 players leaving on permanent contracts.
How are those players doing now? The MEN have taken a closer look at the halfway point of the season.
Tahith Chong
Club: Birmingham
Ten Hag gave Tahith Chong, 22, opportunities on United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, but the midfielder eventually joined Birmingham – where he’d already played on loan – in September for a fee of around £1.5m.
Chong has started 12 matches in the Championship this season and he’s made an appearance in every league game.
Reece Devine
Club: Swindon Town
Minutes played: 83
Reece Devine, 20, has played just one match for Swindon since his move away from United and that came in the Papa John’s Trophy. The left-back is currently sidelined with an injury and he’ll be hoping to make an impact in League Two when he returns.
James Garner
Club: Everton
Minutes played: 188
James Garner was a high-profile departure from Old Trafford this summer. Ten Hag did not consider him part of his immediate first-team plans and that forced Garner, who wanted to play regular minutes, to look at options elsewhere.
Everton paid £15m for the 21-year-old, but he sustained an injury shortly after his arrival at Goodison Park and he’s yet to start a game in the Premier League, despite making an appearance from the bench in Frank Lampard side’s last five league fixtures.
Lampard has said Garner will become a ‘big player for Everton.
Dylan Levitt
Club: Dundee United
Minutes played: 1,450
Dylan Levitt, 22, enjoyed a productive loan with Dundee United last season, receiving their fans’ player of the year award for his performances, and he permanently joined the Scottish club in the summer.
The midfielder has started 13 games in the SPL this term and he’s also representing Wales at the World Cup. Levitt is forging a more than respectable career away from United and he’s said to be attracting interest from Milwall.
Jesse Lingard
Club: Nottingham Forest
Minutes played: 892
There were raised eyebrows when Jesse Lingard signed for newly-promoted Nottingham Forest on a one-year contract. Lingard has contributed one goal and one assists this season and he’s failed to reproduce his best form at the City Ground.
Juan Mata
Club: Galatasaray
Minutes played: 231
Juan Mata has made just one start since joining Galatasaray on a free transfer in the summer, but he’s been able to contribute one goal and two assists across the five appearances he’s made for the club, with the majority coming from the bench.
The Spaniard missed the first two games of the season due to his fitness and he’ll be ready to play after the World Cup.
Nemanja Matic
Club: Roma
Minutes played: 1,155
Jose Mourinho reunited with Nemanja Matic, who he managed at Chelsea and United, at Roma in the summer and the midfielder has become an internal part of his first-team squad, making seven starts and an appearance in every Serie A match.
Matic has also started in every Europa League game when he’s been available.
D’Mani Mellor
Club: Wycombe Wanderers
Minutes played: 326
D’Mani Mellor, 22, needed a move away from the academy for regular minutes, but they’ve been hard to come by at League One Wycombe Wanderers. Mellor has been limited to a bench role and he sustained an injury in September.
The forward has scored just one goal this season and that came in the Papa John’s Trophy.
Andreas Pereira
Club: Fulham
Minutes played: 1,251
Perhaps the biggest ‘success story from this list of players, Andreas Pereira finally made a permanent move away from Old Trafford to join Fulham in the summer after four loan spells away with Granada, Valencia, Lazio, and Flamengo.
Pereira has been an excellent addition at Craven Cottage, starting in 15 Premier League matches from a possible 16 this season, and he’s contributed two goals and four assists, which means he’s a popular Fantasy Football asset.
The midfielder recently scored against Manchester City at the Etihad and played United before the World Cup break.
Paul Pogba
Club: Juventus
Minutes played: 0
Paul Pogba has not played for Juventus since rejoining the Italian club. The Frenchman tore his meniscus in July during pre-season and he’s since been in rehabilitation, which has seen him miss the opportunity to play at the Qatar World Cup.
When Pogba returns from injury, he will play in the Europa League with Juventus.
Martin Svidersky
Club: Almeria
Minutes played: 0
Martin Svidersky, 20, is yet to make his debut for Almeria in La Liga, but he ‘doesn’t regret his move to Spain, as he said last week: “I do not regret leaving United. I took advantage of the time, I learned a lot and now I have chosen personal development over fame.”
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