While the likes of Ryan Giggs and Marcus Rashford both made an immediate impact at Manchester United, some players have to cut their teeth out on loan before establishing themselves in the first team.
United’s James Garner is currently impressing on loan at Nottingham Forest and will be hoping to break into Erik ten Hag’s side next season.
We’ve taken a look at six players who became United regulars after enjoying successful loan spells away from Old Trafford.
David Beckham
Long before he was a household name, Beckham spent a month on loan at then-Third Division side Preston North End in 1994-95.
The midfielder made an instant impression at Deepdale, scoring direct from a corner and netting a brilliant free-kick in his first two appearances.
Despite wanting to stay at Preston until the end of the season, he made just three more appearances before Sir Alex Ferguson brought him back to Old Trafford.
Beckham then established himself as a first-team regular at United in 1995-96, and the rest is history…
David Beckham scores his first professional free-kick on loan at Preston, 1995. pic.twitter.com/MswmigvknU
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) June 16, 2020
John O’Shea
With just one appearance for United under his belt, O’Shea joined Bournemouth on a three-month loan deal in January 2000 and featured 11 times for the then-Division Two side.
“It was a fantastic experience,” O’Shea said in 2015. “Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to me at the time and said reserve-team football was OK but I needed to get battered and bruised in a tougher environment to toughen me up a bit and understand the game. To experience what it is like when the points really matter in games.
“It worked. I got battered plenty of times, but also the manager Mel Machin and Sean O’Driscoll wanted football played the right way. It wasn’t just about character building, but good habits too.”
The former Republic of Ireland international then had a loan spell with Belgian…