Manchester United became one of the most successful teams in Europe under Sir Alex Ferguson, meaning most players weren’t exactly desperate to leave.
Ferguson did have to get rid of some influential stars when the time came and had to be ruthless with some fringe first-teamers, with life after United proving difficult for some.
We’ve looked at the 11 most expensive outgoings during Ferguson’s time at United to see how they fared after leaving Old Trafford.
Kieran Richardson
Richardson came through the United academy and made 81 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils between 2002 and 2007.
Cristiano Ronaldo presented a sizeable obstacle to the first-team for Richardson, and he failed to truly establish himself as a first-team regular, although he did win eight caps for England while on the books at United.
The winger was sold to Sunderland for £5.5million and became a fan favourite at the Stadium of Light after scoring the winning goal against Newcastle in 2008.
After five years at the Stadium of Light, Richardson left to join Fulham in 2012 and last appeared for Cardiff City in 2016, most recently tweeting his urge to find a new club after four years out of the game.
Alan Smith
Smith controversially crossed the Pennines to join Manchester United from Leeds United in 2004 but his career was nearly over when he suffered a sickening broken leg and dislocated ankle against Liverpool two years later.
The midfielder recovered from the injury and won the Premier League in 2007 but then joined Newcastle United for £6million in search of regular football.
Smith continued to struggle with injury problems as the Magpies were relegated in 2009, but he helped them seal an immediate return to the Premier League.
The 39-year-old then had spells with MK Dons and Notts County before hanging up his boots in 2018.
#OnThisDay 15 years ago, Alan Smith signed for @ManUtd 🔴
Relive some of his best moments… pic.twitter.com/MA8lr8wJd8
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 26, 2019
Zoran Tosic
Tosic only ever made two Premier League appearances for United after signing for £7million from Partizan Belgrade in 2009.
“I was put straight into the first-team squad and the levels were so high that it felt like another sport,” he told The Athletic in October 2019.
“It was very heavy for me in those first weeks in Manchester. The ball moved so quickly in training, the quality was top, top level. Nobody lost the ball. Except me. I was trying…
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